AOtGO - Aftermath
by Zelgadis55
Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover. Set in 2k12 universe. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome. 2nd place Most in-character Michelangelo in Universal TMNT Fanfic Comp 2016
1. Chapter 1

Rating: PG (subject to change as the story progresses)

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.

A/N: Just a couple of things you should know before you start reading the story.

This is the 2k12 side of 'And One to Grow On', however, you do not need to read 'AOtGO' itself to be able to read this one.

Also, technically, this story is a sequel. It's the sequel to 'Tsumetai' and '24 Days', two short one shots set a month and then about a week prior to this. 'Aftermath' is also the direct continuation after 'The Situation'. Again, you don't need to have read any of those first, as you will get the gist of what happened before as this story unfolds, however, you will likely gain more out of it if you do.

*Bounces excitedly* Check out the new fanart (story cover) created by the awesome Greys-Giovana over at Deviant Art. Check out the full sized pic http: (backslashbackslash) fav dot me (backslash) da7vxm1 *rolls eyes* Seriously ffnet? Even taking out dot written in brackets? What a pain! Alternatively, just search greys-giovana at Deviant Art. She has done a lot of fan art for the various 'AOtGO' stories :-)

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 1

Date : 18th Sept

Falling blindly from the glowing portal hanging in midair, Michelangelo landed roughly on his face onto coarse bitumen. He groaned softly from the stinging pain and slowly pushed himself back to his feet, staring all around himself in undisguised wonder at the open space, buildings and blessed cool night air surrounding him; all things which he hadn't seen or experienced in what felt like forever. The other three turtles, the ones who had saved him from the hellhole he'd been trapped in, were nearby. Staring curiously at their unfamiliar shells as they too picked themselves up, he noticed something in their movement, in their very postures, that spoke of desperation, of hopelessness, and Mikey wondered if it was due to the sacrifice of that turtle robot... or if it was because there was only three of them present, and if it was the latter... how would they react to his being there?

With a lonely pang deep inside, Mikey took a breath, savouring the first relatively fresh air without that awful recycled tang he'd been forced to breathe for months, and continued to stare forlornly at their shells. Much as approaching them under the circumstances scared him, he knew he had no choice. He was no longer a prisoner, but he was still alone and obviously so far from home that Mikey was sure he'd have had a much better chance of finding a way back if he was halfway across the galaxy or the universe instead. Glancing quickly again at the street around him, he knew he needed help... he needed them... so silently, he moved closer.

Once he was about two metres away, making sure he was out of immediate reach of those deadly sharp katanas, Mikey finally called out. He tried so hard to sound upbeat but instead, his voice came out quiet, exhausted even. "Hey, dudes."

The reactions of the other three were instantaneous. Raph and Leo whirled around immediately, weapons drawn, eyes wary yet challenging. Donatello turned around a little more slowly, and he didn't draw his weapon. Instead, Donnie tightly clutched at a squarish, metal head, and peering down at it, Mikey realised it must have been a part of that robot who'd helped free him and the rest of the prisoners.

Mikey tried to smile brightly at them, but even to himself, he knew it came out tentative instead.

"Just what we need, _another_ mutant turtle!" Raph spat irritably, sai pointing menacingly in his direction.

"Hey, uh... thanks for saving me, guys." Mikey swallowed, eyes trailing to take in the appearances of each of the strange turtles in front of him.

Both Leo's and Donnie's eyes roamed all over him, studying him mistrustfully as they took in his appearance, and after the constant surveillance he'd been under since being captured, Mikey's skin crawled; it was all he could do to stop from cringing under their critical gaze. Raph however, just kept his eyes locked hostilely on his.

As he scrutinised Mikey, something approaching recognition suddenly seemed to dawn on Leo's face, and Mikey found his attention drawn back to him.

"Who are you?" Leo asked, confusion tempering his curiosity.

"Michelangelo," Mikey replied simply. He glanced back to Raph as the hothead started to splutter derisively. "But... I don't think I'm in Kansas any more, Toto."

"Who are you calling Toto!" Raph growled, readjusting his knuckle paling grip on one of his sai.

"That's not how that quote goes," Donnie muttered petulantly, even as his own gaze flickered back and forth between Mikey and the head gripped protectively in his grasp.

The corners of Mikey's mouth quirked up in vague amusement at being corrected, "I mean, I'm not in the right dimension," he shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Well... either I'm not or you dudes aren't, buuut it's a safe bet it's me."

"How can you be so certain?" Leo asked suspiciously as Mikey fidgeted under his scrutiny.

"Turtle Luck," Mikey quickly quipped.

At the piercing looks from Leo and Raph, Mikey sighed and explained, "That building down the street there," Mikey pointed out with a slight nod towards it. "It was totalled a couple of years ago when the Triceratons rampaged Earth looking for the Fugitoid. Last I knew, they did start rebuilding but it was completely different to the original." He shrugged again.

Leo, Donnie and Raph exchanged quick looks before turning back to Mikey; they hadn't heard of either the Triceratons or Fugitoid before and wondered if they were something they needed to know about.

"You're taking being in the wrong dimension pretty well then," Leo observed warily, his weapons still at the ready.

Mikey chuckled humourlessly. "Been in other dimensions a few times now. At this point, it's almost like jumping from one rooftop to the next," he said. Then, more bitterly, he quietly added, "Besides, almost anywhere's better than that place..."

Before anyone could either comment on or ask what he meant, a car turned into the mostly dark street, headlights gliding to shine where the mutants stood, and all four quickly ducked out of sight into the nearby shadows. Once the vehicle moved on, Leo spoke up quietly again.

"You were in that Kraang prison?"

"... Yeah..." Safely ensconced in the shadows where he couldn't be easily seen, Mikey closed his eyes, wrapping his arms tightly around himself and wished for the comfort of his own brothers and father. "... For way too long, dude..." he added tiredly.

"How... how long were you held prisoner?" Donnie asked, swallowing as he still tightly clung to the severed metallic head in his arms.

Mikey hesitated.

"It's a simple enough question," Raph snapped, glowering in his direction.

"I... dunno, bro..." Mikey admitted reluctantly, suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that he really _didn't_ know. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes but he fought hard against them. He hadn't broken down in front of his captors and he certainly wasn't going to break down in front of other-dimensional family he'd only just met. "I... _think_ it was less than a year, it was months at least... but there was just no way to tell night from day there...

"They... I... I know I was taken in Winter though... late February... and I know I had to have been there for months before I broke my arm..." he continued quietly. Mikey began to feel cold and wrapped his arms even tighter around himself, rubbing slightly at them for warmth. "... That's since had time to heal... so..."

"Was that recently?" Donnie suddenly asked, peering curiously into the shadows where Mikey still hid.

"Yeah... they took the... the cast... off... I dunno, I'm guessing a week or two ago. It's hard to be sure."

"That would certainly explain the difference in the muscular build up between your left and right arms," Donnie nodded, his voice sounding more confident now he had something solid to focus on. "I noticed how your left arm muscles have significantly atrophied in comparison with..."

"Yeah, yeah, enough already Nerdatello," Raph interrupted impatiently as another car turned into the quiet street.

"There's no need to be so rude, Raph!" Donnie snapped, before quieting at a look from Leonardo.

The car soon slowed down to park, and two humans quickly hopped out before walking toward the neighbouring building.

"Let's get off the streets," Leo suggested softly, his sharp gaze tracking the movement of the pair as they reached the building entrance. Once they stepped inside, Leo turned to stare piercingly into the shadows where Mikey still stood, leaning wearily against the rough brick wall. "Will you be alright getting to the rooftops?"

"Yeah," Mikey nodded, determined. He felt way too exposed down here anyway.

"Good. We'll continue this conversation once we're safely out of sight," Leonardo commanded firmly, leading the way into the nearby alley.

Once they found a ladder leading up, Raphael began climbing first, with Mikey trailing slowly behind him at Leonardo's insistence; Leo and Donnie soon followed. It didn't take long for Raph to reach the top of the eight story building, where he immediately jumped to the roof and peered intently around the shadows and neighbouring rooftops. Once he was certain their surroundings were clear, he turned to motion Mikey up, only to make an impatient sound as he noticed the former captive still making his way up from two floors below. Mikey heard the impatience and flushed with embarrassment. He was simply too tired to move faster, especially with the adrenaline from the earlier fight quickly wearing off, but he bit his tongue and tried to speed up anyway.

A couple of minutes later, Mikey finally reached the top, only to be surprised by Raph's larger hand reaching down and gripping his wrist firmly, hauling him up and onto the roof of the building. Raph didn't look at him the whole time and immediately released him as if he burned once he was safely up.

"Thanks," Mikey murmured quietly, rubbing slightly at his wrist where Raph had gripped it too hard.

Raph grunted and moved away as first Leo and then Donnie also made it to the top.

Now that he had a better view of the world he'd landed in, Mikey stared at the city about him curiously, trying to see which of the landmarks he recognised, which were subtly changed and which were completely different. He soon drifted to the nearby parapet as Raph grabbed hold of Leo and Donnie, pulling them roughly off to the side.

Noticing this from the corner of his eye, Mikey allowed a tiny smile to surface and sat down on the edge, feet dangling over the side. He only hoped they wouldn't argue about him for too long.

-:-

"Don't tell me you believe his ridiculous story!" Raph hissed quietly as he kept a careful eye on the strange turtle.

"I think it's fairly obvious he came from the Kraang prison, Raph" Leo assured calmly.

"Not that part!" Raph snapped, struggling to keep his voice down. "Everything else!"

"We have long known the Kraang have conquered dimensional travel," Donnie spoke, also staring in Mikey's direction. He really didn't like how the other turtle sat balanced on the building's edge, not with how exhausted and shaky he'd looked merely climbing up the building. Donnie hugged the remains of Metalhead to his plastron. "His story is definitely plausible."

Raph rolled his eyes.

"Besides..." Leo muttered as if unsure, "he looks kind of familiar."

Both Raph and Donnie whipped their gazes to Leonardo.

"What do you mean?"

Leo sighed, "Remember that night a little over a week ago, when Master Splinter forbade us from going out to search for Mikey?"

Raph scowled at the unpleasant memory. He'd fought ferociously against Splinter's decision, even while knowing his reasons for one night of rest were valid ones.

"Unfortunately," Donnie replied.

"While I was meditating in the Astral Plain, my mind somehow connected with Mikey's, our Mikey, just for a moment," Leo reminded them.

"Yes, we remember," Donnie muttered impatiently.

"Just get to the point, Leo," Raph growled.

Leo nodded, "I will if the two of you let me. The other turtle I saw, the one that reminded me of me, looked a lot like him, at least as far as I could tell." Leo motioned his head towards Michelangelo and all three turned their gazes on the turtle claiming to be another version of their lost little brother. Michelangelo, as if he knew they were watching him, suddenly turned and stared longingly back, and the three brothers quickly averted their eyes once more.

"So you believe..."

"Maybe..."

"He _can't_ have anything to do with what happened to Mikey!" Raph spluttered. "He _said_ he doesn't know how long he was held for, but that it was months at least! Mikey's only been missing for _one_ month!"

"One month and one day," Donnie corrected, earning an annoyed look from Raph. "It may not be directly related, they could just be similar in appearance," Donnie mused moments later.

Leo nodded. "Besides, the vision I had of the other Leonardo wasn't exactly clear. Mikey was in pain at the time and I'm pretty sure struggling to keep his eyes open. But with the amount of other dimensions that must exist, it wouldn't be a surprise to find more than one with other versions of us, whether they look like us, or look like _him._ " He motioned towards the stranger again.

The three brothers looked over at the other turtle again, seeing that he was staring back out at the city once more.

"Been hitting Donnie's nerd books much?" Raphael sneered derisively.

"I don't have any books, nerd or otherwise, about dimensions and dimensional theory," Donnie protested loudly. "What I know about it comes from journals published online and then of course, there's my own theories largely based on our dealings with the Kraang."

"I don't need to have read anything, Raph. What I know comes from watching 'Space Heroes'. If you actually paid attention to it, you'd know at least that much too."

"Oh, here we go," Raph rolled his eyes again. "You know Leo, you've seriously got to stop using that lame show as a guide to leadership and life! It's utter nonsense!"

"While I do agree in general with you Raph, science fiction programs _do_ tend to have a glimmer of truth or theory within them," Donnie offered, giving Leo support.

"See?" Leo said smugly, before frowning as he noticed Mikey beginning to slump where he sat. He didn't know this other turtle, but for some reason, he was already beginning to feel the need to protect him, as if he were one of their own.

Within moments, he found himself rushing over to Mikey, worried. Once he reached him, Leo placed his hand on the other turtle's shoulder, ready to grip harder should the worst happen and he lost his balance. "Are you alright?" he asked gently as Mikey started.

Mikey turned his head, dull blue eyes blinking languidly up into Leo's own. "Yeah, I'm really happy to finally be out of that place..."

"You don't sound too convinced," Leo observed wryly.

Mikey smiled slightly, "I'm just kinda cold and really tired, bro," he reassured quietly. Then he turned to face out across the city once more and muttered, "And I really wish I could go home..."

 _Home..._

Though Mikey had spoken quietly, Leo, along with Raph and Donnie who had quickly followed their brother over, heard his words. The three looked at each other uncomfortably.

"You're welcome to come stay with us," Leo offered moments later, "it's not as if you have anywhere else to go..."

Mikey began turning wide blue eyes back to Leo when Raph burst out.

" _Leo!_ He came from the _Kraang!_ How the _hell_ do we know he's not a _trap?_ "

A faint smile flickered at the edges of Mikey's mouth and he chuckled tiredly, "Same old Raphie, no matter what dimension I end up in." The smile then faded, replaced by an expression of longing, "I'm not a trap dude, but I've got no way to prove it," he sighed, hoping that wouldn't mean Leo would rescind his offer.

" _What_ did you just call me?" Raph twitched.

Closing his eyes against the sick feeling brought on by how tired he suddenly felt, Mikey just shook his head in mute amusement.

"I really don't feel he is," Leo insisted adamantly.

"Says the turtle who keeps trusting _Karai_ , even when she herself said not to!" Raph snapped angrily. "I mean, come on! Forget looks, he doesn't even _act_ like Mikey!"

"He's been held prisoner by the Kraang for god knows how long," Leo reminded Raph in exasperation, fixing his brother with a determined stare. "Give him a break!"

"That and he's from another reality where things are likely different," Donnie added, slipping into lecture mode. "It stands to reason that we could have led very different lives to each other, meaning he's been shaped by very different experiences to us."

Raph sighed and looked down at the physically and mentally battered turtle, seeing the slump to his figure. "Fine! We'll help you, but..." and here he shot a challenging look in Leo's direction, "while we'll give you somewhere to stay and recover, _don't_ expect us to help you get home!"

Mikey opened his eyes again, turning his head to look up in astonishment at the sudden agreement from Raphael. It was what he wanted, yes, what he needed and hoped for in fact, but he really hadn't expected Raph to cave in so soon or easily. His own brother could be extremely pig headed and stubborn once his feet were dug in, almost impossible to convince to budge, so it stood to reason that this Raph's unusual capitulation took him by surprise.

Both Donnie and Leo looked uncomfortable with Raph's declaration but neither argued.

"Unfortunately, Raph's right," Leo agreed apologetically. "Our own Michelangelo is currently missing, has been for a month now, and finding him has to be our priority."

Feeling a surge of sympathy, Mikey nodded. He knew exactly what it was like to not know what happened to someone he cared about, his own recent experience not withstanding. For a moment, his mind flashed back to the day his own family had been scattered across the multiverse, to different worlds, times and dimensions; and to before that, to the day their injured father had vanished after an intense battle with Shredder. They'd searched for weeks, finding no trace of him. Yes, he knew exactly what this family was going through and no matter how much he wanted otherwise, he could never fault them for not helping him find a way home. "Fair enough, dude," he quickly answered. "Finding your bro is definitely _way_ more important."

Both Leo and Raph relaxed upon hearing Mikey's agreement. "Right," Leo said suddenly. "Now that that's decided, we should get home. It's already after two am and it's been a very long night. Uh... Mikey... do you think you can make it jumping across the rooftops?" he asked, looking critically at the familiar stranger.

Mikey fought back a sigh and struggled to his feet; at this point, all he wanted was to sleep for a week in a warm bed.

Preferably his own; with his family watching over him and showering him with long denied attention and affection.

He wandered slowly to the edge of the roof in the direction the others indicated and stared out at the gaping chasms between the tall buildings and swallowed. For a moment, memories of falling, only to be suddenly caught by taloned claws filled his mind and at that moment, he knew he couldn't do it. He simply didn't have the strength or energy right now. Swaying slightly where he stood, he reluctantly shook his head. "Sorry Leo... but no..."

Leo gave a sharp nod. Having been right behind him on the ladder coming up, he'd noticed Mikey's shakiness as he'd climbed, not to mention the way his eyes kept drooping now. In fact, he was glad the other-dimensional turtle was at least honest about it. "Right! Donnie, you stay here and wait with Mikey, while Raph and I go get the Shellraiser."

And with that, Leonardo and Raphael split off, racing across their rooftop playground for home.

-:-

To be continued

* * *

A/N: While this story does take place in an AUed version of 2k12 continuity, rest assured, I will NOT be rewriting episodes to make up for the fact that one Mikey is gone and another is in his place. I don't normally enjoy stories like that, in fact it's a sure way to turn me off fast, and I wouldn't do it to you guys. There will however be brief references to said events as need be.

Please, let me know what you think, I don't bite XD Thank you everyone who has commented, faved or followed :-) I'll get around to fixing my emails so I can respond again soon...


	2. Chapter 2

Rating: PG (subject to change as the story progresses)

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. Star Trek, Doctor Who and Star Wars do not belong to me either (except for my dvds and videos of them of course XD)

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.

A/N: Thanks to all of you who have commented, faved or followed this story already! I've never had so much interest in a story in such a short time (1 chapter) as this one before. It's a great feeling whenever I see messages informing me. Thanks again guys!

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 2

Date : 18th Sept

Leo gave a sharp nod. "Right! Donnie, you stay here and wait with Mikey, while Raph and I go for the Shellraiser."

And with that, Leonardo and Raphael split off, racing across their rooftop playground for home.

Mikey watched Leo and Raph gracefully leap from rooftop to rooftop until they disappeared into the darkness, then he settled back down on the parapet, feet dangling lazily over the side once more.

Looking up briefly from where he stood fiddling with the remnants of Metalhead, Donnie suddenly spoke, "Um, it might be wiser if you moved away from the edge... Mikey."

Opening his eyes, Mikey turned to look curiously at the astoundingly tall turtle who seemed to tower over, not just himself, but his other-dimensional brothers also. "Why?" he asked curiously, his voice a little hoarse from both tiredness and the fact it had been hours since he'd last had anything to drink; once the Kraang had implanted that terrible device in his forehead, he hadn't even been able to eat or drink without their direction, let alone do anything else. Mikey tried to suppress his shudder at the disturbing memory.

Donnie stared back, astonished. "Why?" he echoed, his voice sounding a little tetchy. "You're barely even _awake_ by the look of you. It doesn't take a genius to realise it wouldn't take much for you to lose balance and fall right now."

For a moment, Mikey saw himself falling once more, the ground rapidly rushing to meet him with nothing in reach to arrest his fall. He quickly shook off the memory of the terrifying moment that had led to his recapture... and the metallic cast they had leashed him with... "Nuh, I've got awesome balance, dude," he chuckled dismissively, making light of the situation. "But yeah, okay. I was just enjoying the feeling of actually being free again, you know?"

Donnie nodded numbly. "There are other ways to enjoy freedom than by foolishly risking your life like that."

Mikey tried to smile broadly, but it didn't feel right on his face. "True Donnie, but what better way to feel free than by living on the edge?" he asked even as he carefully turned around and slid down to the rooftop itself. He leant his shell against the small wall encircling the roof, and lay his head on his knees.

Donnie lowered his gaze back to the precious bundle held in his large hands but didn't answer. The silence stretched uncomfortably until Donnie finally decided to break it again. With a brief flicker of eyes to the other turtle, he sat nearby and softly asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mikey didn't need to ask what his other-dimensional brother meant. "Nuh, it's way too fresh, dude."

For a moment the silence between them stretched once more before Mikey sat up, and looking at Donnie hesitantly spoke. "Hey... um Don... I'm really sorry, dude."

"Sorry for what?" Donnie echoed in surprise, meeting Mikey's eyes for the first time and struck by the pain in those bright blue eyes which were both so familiar, yet so alien to him.

"If... if it wasn't for me, you and your bros could still be out looking for your own brother..." Mikey trailed off. He felt horrible that they'd had to stop their search just for his sake, even though he knew how badly he needed them right now.

Donatello shrugged. "Don't worry about it, it's not your fault," he assured. "Besides, after what happened tonight, we would have been heading home anyway." Donnie clutched the head a little closer. Metalhead was more than just another invention to him; the little automaton had developed a personality of sorts and more so, had been their key to helping to find their missing brother... and now...

Mikey noticed Donnie's fixation and nodded to the broken head. "Why are you so down about the little metal dude?" he asked, before quickly adding, "I mean, if you're anything like my Donnie, I know you poured your heart and soul into building him, assuming you built him that is... but you can always rebuild, right?"

"Maybe..." Donnie muttered before speaking louder. "Yes, I could easily rebuild his body, but I'd have to do it from scratch as it blew up back there and this is all that's left," he explained as he briefly held the head towards Michelangelo.

"Unfortunately though, I don't really have the time to find the parts I'd need, let alone actually rebuild him completely..." Donnie shook his head sadly. "The real problem however, is that I don't know how much damage was done to the circuitry of his head... to his programming... and he might never be the same."

"Oh..."

Donnie sighed. "I've had Metalhead a long time now, the better part of a year in fact... but I recently finished upgrading him so he could help with our search for Michelangelo," he continued, explaining sadly. "Metalhead was the one that led us to the Kraang prison to help you and the other captured mutants, and then... he sacrificed himself so we could all make it out again."

"I'm really sorry, Don, I had no idea," Mikey murmured softly. He moved closer to Donatello and reached out a hand to touch Metalhead reverently. "I owe the little guy then. I really hope you can fix him."

Donnie smiled, touched by the understanding and empathy Mikey shared, despite whatever hell he'd just been through.

"Tell me about your family," Donnie asked, quickly changing the subject. "Are they much different to us?"

Mikey laughed tiredly and leaned back against the wall once more. "How am I supposed to answer that, Donnie-boy? I don't even know you guys yet."

Donnie half chuckled back, "That's true."

"I can tell you this much though, you dudes look _totally_ different to my bros," Mikey said. He closed his eyes once more, suddenly unable to keep them open any longer and tilted his head back to rest against the parapet.

-:-

After racing all the way, Leo and Raph finally reached home, but instead of entering through the old turnstiles, they went straight to the garage. Within moments, they were inside the Shellraiser and Leo was switching on the engine. As he pressed the accelerator to drive off, Master Splinter appeared in front of the vehicle, looking up expectantly into Leonardo's eyes.

Suppressing a sigh, Leo switched the engine back off and slid out of the vehicle. "Master Splinter," he greeted, with a small bow of respect. Raphael followed suit, trying to hide his annoyance at the interruption.

"You just arrived home, yet you are leaving again? Where are you going?"

"Back out, Sensei. We needed the Shellraiser so... Raph and I returned to get it."

Splinter's eyes peered from one brother to the other, taking in the fact there were only the two of them present. "Where is Donatello? Is he with Michelangelo?" His voice was so full of hope that Leo couldn't help but cringe.

"Ever since the three of you left tonight, I have had the strongest feeling that tonight would finally be the night you would find your brother. Is this why you have returned home for the Shellraiser, my sons?"

"Um... about that..." Leo began, wringing his hands anxiously and looking to Raph for help that his brother couldn't and wouldn't provide. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for explaining to their anxious father. "We still haven't been able to find our Mikey yet, but... we did find another Mikey..."

Splinter's drooping ears twitched. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

"We found another mutant turtle called Michelangelo who _claims_ he's from another dimension," Raph blurted out impatiently.

Splinter's stare fixed on Leonardo, silently demanding further explanation.

"Metalhead led us to a Kraang prison tonight, Master Splinter," Leo explained. "There was quite a number of mutants being held prisoner there, including such evil doers as Snakeweed, Spiderbytes and Slash."

"Don't lump Slash in there with _them_!" Raph spat angrily. Truth be told, after what happened the day Spike mutated, Raph had mixed feelings about his former pet, but tonight, Slash had not only helped him during the escape, but seemed to harbour no ill feelings for what happened before.

Leonardo ignored Raphael's outburst and continued as calmly as he could. "There were also a number of mutants we haven't come across before, and some friends... like Doctor Rockwell and Mr. O'Neil... The Michelangelo we found was among the prisoners and had been for a long time."

"How long?"

"He's not sure but from what he said, probably at least seven months," Leo explained. "He knows _when_ he was taken, but that doesn't take into account the chance of a time difference between our two dimensions."

Raph looked to Leo incredulously. "I don't remember Donnie saying anything like that."

"He didn't need to, Raph," Leo replied, glancing at his brother. "I've seen enough 'Space Heroes' and other sci-fi to know that time in other dimensions doesn't always run parallel."

"You're _seriously_ basing your 'science' off of a stupid _TV show_?" Raph exploded. "Do you _know_ how cracked that sounds? It's almost as bad as learning how to be a leader from Captain _Ryan's_ example!" he spat.

Leonardo whirled to face Raphael. "I _know_ it's fiction, Raphael, but it's _science_ fiction! Even Donnie said some stuff is based on..."

" _Enough!_ " Splinter commanded sharply, his hand held to his head wearily.

"Sorry, Sensei," both Leo and Raph echoed, chagrined.

"Anyway Master Splinter," Leo continued a moment later, "the point is that he's been a prisoner there a long time and now finds himself in the wrong reality. He's got nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Except for us."

"So it appears," Splinter agreed, arching his brow. "So where is he now?"

"Waiting for us to come fetch him in the Shellraiser," Leo replied, trying not to shuffle his feet where he stood. "He's been through a lot and probably wouldn't have managed to make it back here across the rooftops. Donatello is waiting with him."

"Then I suggest you go pick them up."

"Hai, Sensei!"

Leo and Raph scrambled back into the waiting vehicle and drove off as Splinter stood aside and watched.

"He must be who I have been sensing all this time," Splinter said aloud to the empty room, once the Shellraiser disappeared from view.

Then he turned and slowly headed back into the lair.

-:-

"Hey! Don't go to sleep, Mikey!" Donatello suddenly snapped in alarm as he saw the other turtle's head beginning to nod.

"But I'm so tired..." Mikey whined petulantly without opening his eyes. It felt like forever since he'd been able to do anything he wanted and right now, all he wanted was to sleep and try to put his whole living nightmare behind him.

"I understand that," Donnie snapped again, not even trying to mask his annoyance. "However, this is _not_ the time, _nor place_ to sleep!"

"Heh... you sound crotchety, bro..."

"I am _not_ your bro!"

"Chill Donnie, you kinda are, in an interdimensional way." Mikey yawned, trying to pry his eyelids open and failing. "Besides, it's just an expression. Kinda like dude."

Donatello breathed in sharply, then more calmly, added, "I _need_ you to keep awake, or when Leo and Raph return, we'll have trouble getting you back down to street level."

Mikey swayed slightly where he sat and fought another yawn, not even bothering to cover his mouth. "How long until they get back?" he mumbled through it curiously.

Donnie stared off in the direction his brothers had run in. "Under normal circumstances, assuming they didn't run into any Foot or Kraang activity, they should be arriving with the Shellraiser any minute now. However, the chances are good that they've been waylaid by Master Splinter."

"If so, how long?" Mikey asked again, feeling a pang of longing at the mention of his father's name.

"... At the absolute most, I would think another fifteen to twenty minutes."

Mikey nodded then struggled to his feet. "Let's head down now then. Otherwise, I'll fall asleep before they get here."

Donnie sighed and fidgeted. "I really don't think it would be wise to head down before Leo and Raph return for us," he said, restraining himself from mentioning about Michelangelo's current state making it dangerous to climb back down without backup.

"Nope! Gotta move now, dude!" Mikey headed for the fire-escape, staring down into the darkness of the alley below. 'At least this isn't a tall building,' he thought, swallowing at the sight. It had been difficult enough climbing up as his exhaustion caught up with him, and though Donnie hadn't said anything, he could definitely understand the other turtle's concern. "It's either we go down now or someone carries me down later, and you're way too skinny to carry both me and Metalhead," he added, forcing a cheeky bounce into his tone.

"I'm not skinny, I'm _svelte_!"

Mikey winced, holding onto the top of the ladder as he stepped out. He'd meant it to sound teasing, not strike a nerve. "Sorry Donnie... I didn't meant to upset you by calling you skinny. It's not like I said scrawny or anything, which you're totally _not_ , by the way!" he added quickly, worried about that being taken the wrong way too.

Donnie sighed again. "Just come back onto the roof, Mikey."

Mikey tossed him a surprised look, then nodded as he saw how serious Donatello was.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just that I've often been picked on for my lack of build over the years," Donnie apologised. "Now... uh... I don't mean to imply you are incapable or anything, but you are obviously not in any state to climb down safely right now. I'd feel better if we had a safety line between us, just in case." As he spoke, Donnie pulled out his grappling gun and pulled free the rope.

"It's okay, don't tell anyone but I think I'd feel better about it too," Mikey agreed reluctantly. He hoped however, that the precaution wouldn't prove necessary, or if it did, that Donnie wouldn't be hurt trying to help him. "As for being uh... svelte? At least you can reach stuff on the top shelf, right dude?" he laughed, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Donnie smiled tightly as he began securing one end of the rope around Mikey.

"Anyway, so you're not Raphie, who'd wanna be, right?" Mikey continued, shrugging. "You're probably stronger than anyone else besides him anyway, right?"

Donnie froze, staring at Mikey in astonishment, even as he wished Mikey would just drop the subject. "I doubt very much that I'm stronger than Leo."

"If you're anything like my Donnie, I bet you are." Mikey allowed a smile to play across his face. "I mean, not counting that heavy bo you're always swinging around, what about the heavy machinery you're always playing with? You _do_ play with heavy machinery, right?" Mikey asked, glancing at Metalhead's remains where they rested nearby.

"At times, yes. However, I use a gear and pulley system to aid me," Donnie admitted, now finishing tying the other end to himself. He gave an experimental tug on both ends before, satisfied, tying the severed head to his shell. "Okay, we should be good to go. I'll go down first. That way, if the worst should come to pass, I'll have more time to react."

Mikey nodded, swallowing, and waited for Donnie to step onto the ladder before following him.

-:-

The journey down was a harrowing one. Through his exhaustion, Mikey missed his step a couple of times but luckily didn't fall. However, he couldn't help the brief memories of falling that plagued his vision on both occasions as he clutched desperately at the rungs. He swallowed again, wondering if this was how Leo used to feel before their father tricked him into getting over his fear of heights. Once on the ground, Mikey closed his eyes, leaning his head against the cool brick as he tried to push away his nausea.

He truly wasn't afraid of the thought of heights, but still, that memory kept haunting him. All he could hope was that it was due to his tiredness and that it would leave him alone once he caught up on some sleep and recovered some.

"Are you okay?" Donnie suddenly asked quietly, making Mikey jump. He began reattaching the rope to the grapple gun.

Mikey nodded, pushing himself away from the wall. "Yeah, I'm fine, Don," he reassured. Then to distract himself from how he felt, he added, "I seriously can't get over how tall you are! What's your secret, dude, and is it too late for me to do it too?"

Donnie simply gave Mikey an 'Are you serious?' look, then turned away, watching the open end of the alley for his brothers.

Sighing at the lack of response, Mikey wracked his brain for something else to talk about. "You know, my bros and I have been to a few other dimensions before and met other versions of us and they _always_ looked like us. Well, sort of anyway. One dimension I went to, our counterparts had awesome superpowers that changed their appearances, that was _so_ cool, but they still looked the same when they weren't in costume or using their powers. So how come you dudes look so different when they didn't?"

Donnie was quiet for a moment. "I could go into the science of it if you like, but that would take hours and we really wouldn't have time for that right now. Not to mention, I'm not certain how much of it you would even understand anyway."

"Ouch!" Mikey chuckled, putting his hands over his heart to dramatise how he'd been wounded. Honestly, he knew basic reasons why, he did read comics after all. Though while the other-dimensional counterparts usually looked pretty much the same in his books too, that he mostly put down to laziness on the creator's parts, just like in cartoons when characters flashbacked to memories of their younger selves, yet still had the exact same hairstyles or clothing as when they were older. "Just keep it simple enough for my poor, tired brain to understand then, dude," he suggested, leaning back again.

"Okay, I'll try," Donnie agreed dubiously. "One possibility is that we may have started out as different species of turtles to one another."

"My Donnie believes we were red-eared sliders before we changed," Mikey piped up. He clasped his hands in front and stretched his arms, as much for something to do as keeping himself awake.

Donnie nodded, "That's probably it then, since I suspect we were mutated from the diamondback terrapin, although..." Then he shook his head, reminding himself that they didn't have time for him to go into depth.

"There are also other possible factors, such as that the mutagen can have extremely unpredictable results. My theory is that it has a lot to do with the DNA of whatever living thing a person or creature was last in contact with, but even then, that doesn't necessary explain a couple of the wilder mutations we've come across," he explained, thinking of Timothy as he answered.

"Also, we recently discovered that the Kraang are trying to perfect the mutagen to give a specific result when used, so the chemical structure of it changes with each batch, resulting in vastly different results each time."

Mikey froze upon hearing their name. "They're responsible for the mutagen in this world?" he asked carefully, a slight quaver to his voice.

"Yes," Donnie replied shortly. He turned to look at Mikey. "You seem surprised."

"Kinda, I guess... The Utrom made it back home by accident." Mikey shrugged, trying to act like what Donnie just said didn't phase him. " _They_ look like the evil cousins of the Utrom, so I guess it makes sense." As a cold breeze whipped down the alley, he shivered and once more wrapped his arms around himself, this time for warmth, or so he told himself.

"Evil cousins?" Donnie asked incredulously, as if implying what Mikey was saying was nonsense.

"Yeah! Kinda like the Romulans to the Vulcans in 'Star Trek'," Mikey eagerly explained, ignoring the other turtle's tone. "Well, I know the Romulans themselves aren't actually evil, it's just their leadership that is, but you get the point, right?"

"I'm afraid I don't," Donnie shook his head. "I can't say I've ever heard of 'Star Trek'."

"No!" Mikey gasped in horror. "Seriously, dude? My Donnie and I used to watch that together all the time! It was our thing!"

"Sorry. Maybe it just isn't that well known."

"Not well _known_? Donnie! It's only one of the biggest and best known sci-fi ever made, right up there with 'Doctor Who' and 'Star Wars'!"

"I'm sorry, I've never heard of any of those either."

"And you're not gonna get the chance to know 'em now, turtle!" a voice sneered from between the two mutants and the street.

As Donnie whirled to meet the threat, Mikey pushed himself away from the wall holding him up while his hands automatically clutched at the remains of his 'chucks. He peered into the darkness at the three menacing figures blocking their way.

" _Fong_!" Donnie stated in disgust.

"Hey look, Fong! It's the weak one!" another laughed derisively. "This'll be a piece of cake!"

"And some other mutant freak," the third figure sneered. "This's our lucky night!"

Mikey leaned forward to Donnie's ear slit, "Who are they?"

"Purple Dragons."

Mikey stared incredulously into the gloom. "Those lame-os are Dragons? Where's the rest of their gang?"

"That _is_ their gang."

Mikey couldn't help but laugh. "Really? Just three lame losers? _Those_ are the fearsome Purple Dragons of this world?" He gripped the two handles he held in a firm but relaxed grip as he stepped up beside Donnie.

"Take them!" Fong ordered, annoyed by Mikey's mocking words.

"This is gonna be too easy!" Mikey grinned with anticipation.

"Leave them to me," Donnie commanded, his bo held ready in front.

"No way, dude!" Mikey retorted, taking a step forward to meet the first onrushing assailant. "I can help!"

"You're in no _shape_ to help!" Donnie shot back sharply. He immediately barred Mikey's progress with his bo, pushing him back. Then he snapped the same end of his weapon forwards, across the knuckles of the smaller oncomer.

"Don't advertise it, dude!" Mikey gaped in disbelief that Donnie would give away a weakness so easily to the enemy. "Besides, I'm fine! I'm just tired, _not_ an invalid!"

"Mikey," Donnie warned, irritated, but Mikey ignored him.

"Besides, there's _only_ three of them and the Battle Nexus Champion has more than enough energy to help take out some lame Dragons!" With that, Mikey immediately dashed around Donnie, heading straight for the largest of the Dragons. Relief coursed through him when he noticed that it wasn't Hun. While he felt okay enough to help take on the three punks threatening them, he knew he was in no state for a major fight. He hit out with the weapon on his right, quickly knocking the knife from the hand of the oversized Dragon.

"Nice to see you listen to reason as little as my own brother does too!" Donnie snapped irritably as he whirled his staff, cracking it sharply against his opponent's stomach.

Hurriedly sidestepping, Mikey pushed away the nausea he felt from his quick movement and desperate need for sleep, and spun, aiming a high kick at the chest of his opponent to knock him down.

"Yes, there may be only _three_ of them, as you so obviously observed, Michelangelo, however, you couldn't even handle the _Kraang_ and _they_ don't know how to even _think_ for themselves!"

Mikey gasped as his foot was caught in a giant, meaty hand. A spilt second later, he found himself being picked up and flung heavily at the nearby wall. Somehow, he was able to twist in time to plant his feet on the wall and bounce off. At that moment, Mikey wasn't sure which stung more, the insensitive words coming from Donnie of _all_ turtles, or the fact that he realised he wasn't even capable of using half of his normal speed right now. That Dragon was no Hun, and he should _never_ have been able to catch his foot mid kick so easily.

"You've got no _idea_ what I can and can't handle and you _don't_ know a thing about what happened to me, dude!" Mikey cried, unable to keep from turning to yell back at Donnie and completely forgetting about the danger they were in. "You've got no _cl_... _urk_ " Mikey's heated words were cut short as he was suddenly hit from behind. He fell to the ground, the remains of his precious weapons falling from his hand. Before he could move, he felt cold steel pressed against his throat. Mikey froze and glanced up, seeing his adversary grinning maliciously down at him. He swallowed nervously as the human placed a foot on his shell, ensuring he couldn't move without risking being cut deeply by the blade.

"Mikey!" Donnie cried out in sudden alarm, noticing the other turtle's predicament after he abruptly fell silent mid rant. He took a step towards him.

"Drop the stick, turtle..."

"Bo," Donnie interjected petulantly.

"...or the other freak gets it!" Fong commanded, smirking in triumph from where he stood between them and the end of the alley, gloating.

" _Donnie, don't_..." Mikey croaked, trying desperately to keep still.

Donnie automatically dropped his weapon and backed away from it.

"Good. Now join the new freak," Fong demanded, and Donnie slowly started walking to where Mikey was being held down.

Suddenly a faint whistle of air sounded and the Dragon holding the knife to Mikey jerked, yelping in pain. Mikey winced but didn't make a sound as the blade held against him nicked his skin.

"If you losers don't back off, you'll all be sporting grins from a second mouth in your throats!"

"Great! The psycho one arrived," Fong groaned, turning to face the entrance of the alley.

Without moving, Mikey flicked his gaze over to see Leo and Raph only paces from Fong, weapons held menacingly as they moved closer.

"Whadda we do, boss?" Mikey's captor asked worriedly. "I've still got this one," he reminded, pressing the knife a little closer.

"... Let the freak go, Sid," Fong reluctantly replied moments later as Raph held a sai threateningly against his own face. "They'll all get theirs _next_ time!"

Mikey breathed a sigh of relief as the knife was finally removed and the three Dragons ran, one shoving roughly past Leo and the other two giving Leo and Raph a wide berth. He groped around for his fallen weapons and pulled himself slowly back to his feet.

"Are you two alright?" Leo asked in concern, gazing from Donnie to Mikey and back again.

"I'm fine," Donnie replied primly, heading over to check on Mikey. "How about you?"

"Peachee..." Mikey muttered stiffly, stalking away from a stunned Donnie and towards the others.

"Mikey, wait!" Donnie called a few moments later. "I'm sorry about what I said. You're right, I don't have any idea."

Though Mikey instinctively wanted to immediately forgive Donnie for his thoughtless comments during the battle, thanks to his unknown months of torment he couldn't bring himself to say the words. Instead, he simply nodded and looking to Leo, asked, "Can we go now?"

-:-

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

Rating: T

Warnings: Brief mention of torture.

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: I know I have said I will try to alternate chapters between 'AOtGO' and 'Aftermath', but please don't be disappointed if I update 'Aftermath' once more before the next 'AOtGO'. I have more of 'Aftermath' worked on at this point and since I need to devote some time to a couple of Halloween projects planned, I might be getting ch 4 of this up first. We'll see how I go.

Also, the 16th of September is the 2 year anniversary of when I started publishing 'And One to Grow On'. Keep an eye out on 'Tales From AOtGO' on that day for the one-shot explaining what happened the night 2k3 Mikey was lost to his family, IF you are interested :-P

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 3

Date : 18th Sept

With the adrenaline from the impromptu battle long worn off, Mikey slumped into his seat in the rear of the van. Fighting to keep awake, he listened to Donatello droning on as he explained to his brothers what happened to them; with the exception of their argument during the fight. He was far too exhausted to even pipe up when Leo, from his position in the driver's seat, began to lecture Donnie over their choice of heading to the surface when they did. It had all been his idea, and therefore all his fault, yet Donnie was the one copping the brunt of the blame. However, despite how things turned out, Mikey knew it had been the best choice at the time and he would make the same decision all over again regardless. Only this time, he would have tried to be quieter and more aware of his surroundings instead of fighting with Donnie, no matter how much he was justified.

Finally, the vehicle began to slow and Leo fell silent. A few moments later, the engine switched off and Leo spoke up again. "We're home," he said, his tone flat and emotionless.

Mikey flicked his gaze up to see Leo moving into the back of the van towards him and he hid the pang that coursed through him at those simple words. 'I wish...' he thought bitterly. He gave a single nod and struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily where he stood. Donnie immediately moved to help him, eyes down, still embarrassed about what he'd said earlier.

"Leo, don't blame Donnie, okay?" Mikey rasped tiredly. "If we didn't come down when we did, then you dudes would have been carrying me down instead..."

Leo sighed in resignation, "Alright, I'll drop it," he reluctantly agreed. "This time."

"Thanks..." Mikey muttered. He shrugged off Donnie's steadying hand and stepped down out of the van, too cold and tired to even be curious about his new surroundings.

Donnie hovered close by. "Are you sure you don't want someone to lean on?"

Mikey smiled tightly. Before his capture, he would have happily lapped up the attention, but right now, he just wanted his independence.

And to sleep.

"I'm sure Don." It also didn't help that though these turtles were a version of his family, they weren't _his_ family. The last thing he wanted was for them to think him incapable, and based on that altercation with the Purple Dragons, Mikey already knew Donnie believed him so, especially afterwards with how helpless he'd been.

Mikey followed Leo and Raph from the garage into the lair as quickly as he could manage, with Donnie sticking too close to his side on the off chance that he stumbled. Leo and Raph suddenly stopped in front of him, so Mikey stepped slightly to the side to peep past them, wondering just what it was that caught their attention. He found himself staring up in wonder, his eyes wide. "Master Splinter?" he questioned incredulously. "Shell! And there I thought _Donnie_ was tall!"

"Welcome to our home, Michelangelo," Splinter greeted formally, his back ramrod straight.

Mikey continued to gape in surprise. "Thanks Sensei," he eventually replied, once he found his voice again. As he spoke, he gave a small, respectful bow, hands clasped up in front of his plastron.

Splinter's mouth twitched into a faint smile. "You must be exhausted. Do you require something to eat before we show you to where you may rest?"

Mikey stared a moment more, before shaking his head to alertness. "No thanks, Master Splinter. Honestly, what I want more than anything is a toothbrush and then to curl up and sleep for like a year, but I'll pass on the toothbrush because I'd probably just fall asleep and choke myself on it," he chuckled, blinking his eyes in an effort to keep them open.

"Of course," Splinter replied, inclining his head politely. "Leonardo will show you to Michelangelo's room, where you may stay for now. I have put fresh linen on the bed, but you will have to excuse the mess on the floor."

Mikey grinned tiredly, "What you call a mess Sensei, I call lived in," he joked, trying to smother his oncoming yawn.

"Come on, Mikey," Leo said softly. "I'll show you where the bathroom and bedroom is."

Mikey nodded wordlessly and trudged after him.

-:-

Once Mikey and Leo were out of sight, Raphael turned to Splinter, fidgeting. "Why Mikey's room? Why not the spare?"

"Because that's April's and though she doesn't live here any more, she still uses it when she stays over on the weekends and to store her things in when she trains," Donnie interjected softly. "May I be excused, Master Splinter?"

Splinter nodded once. "Do not stay up too long, Donatello. It has been a long night for all."

"Tell me about it," Donnie muttered, before walking away.

Donatello headed straight back to the Shellraiser to fetch Metalhead's remains, before taking them back to his lab. Once there, he sadly placed the head down on his work bench and sat, staring morosely into its lifeless eyes. Finally, he spoke. "I _know_ he needed help, but you were supposed to help us to find _our_ Mikey..."

Sighing, Donnie continued to gaze at his ruined creation. "One thing's for sure though, based on the implications of what we discovered tonight, finding him may be even more difficult than we feared... However, thanks to you little buddy, we now know just how much wider our search really needs to be. Thank you, Metalhead..." he added softly, reaching out to briefly touch the top of the severed head.

Then Donnie reluctantly stood and walked out the lab, switching off the light behind him before heading to bed.

-:-

"Hi Donnie," April called quietly as she stepped into his lab, closing the door gently behind her.

Donnie looked up, an expression of mild surprise filling his face. "Hey April," he replied glumly. "You're here early."

"Yeah, I left before final period started," she replied with a shrug. "Don't worry, it was only gym and I get far more out of training here with you guys anyway."

Donnie nodded wordlessly, turning back to what he was doing.

"I was hoping you could help me with something I don't quite understand yet. You explain things far better than the class teacher does," April continued, moving closer to stand beside Donnie. "Also, I told my Aunt I would be studying with friends and wouldn't be home until late. I figured if I could get my homework out of the way before sundown, I can help you guys with the search tonight."

Donnie stared up at April in surprise. "On a school night?"

"I miss him too," she said simply. The Hamato family had long ago become an important part of her heart, and with Michelangelo missing, it was as though a huge hole had been ripped into it. "Casey will be down after practise too, since he doesn't need to look after his sister tonight."

"Great," Donnie replied hollowly. "So what did you need help with, April?"

April pulled her schoolbag from her back to open it, when suddenly she noticed what Donnie was fiddling with on the bench. She stopped dead in shock. "Donnie? What happened to Metalhead? I thought you were upgrading him to help, so why is he in pieces?"

Donnie followed her gaze to the nearby automaton head. "That's right, I neglected to tell you so you don't know yet..."

"Know what?"

"You remember how Metalhead had been behaving erratically of recent?"

The teenage girl nodded.

Donnie took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Well, the other night, he led us to a Kraang prison. There were well over a dozen mutant prisoners held within."

Instinct wanted April to blurt out Mikey's name, but since Donnie would definitely have said something sooner, she knew that they couldn't have found him there, so instead, she held her tongue and continued looking at him expectantly.

"Many of whom we've never seen before, some good... some bad..." Donnie continued with a sigh. As he spoke, he picked up a nearby pencil, twirling it absentmindedly between his large fingers as if it were a miniature of his bo. "Your father was there too, April."

"Dad?" she gasped in shock. "Is he... was he..."

Donnie nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry, he's free now and most importantly, unhurt. Besides, I have reason to believe they didn't have him for very long this time." With April immediately assured, Donnie resumed his explanation. "Metalhead sacrificed himself in order to allow everyone to escape the facility."

April wilted, flopping into a nearby chair. "Can you rebuild him?"

"I hope so, but not any time soon... Right now, I'm simply trying to access his memory files," Donnie admitted sadly. "Anyway, that's... not all we found, April."

Suddenly fearful, April stared into Donnie's large, pain filled, reddish brown eyes.

"Mikey... Our Mikey wasn't there..." Donnie continued morosely, "but there was another Mikey, apparently from another dimension, being held in that place."

April's eyes shot wide as she stared at her best friend. "What... where is he? What happened?"

"He had nowhere else to go, so we brought him home with us," Donnie admitted with a shrug. "He's sleeping now. Leo said he was out before his head even hit the pillow."

"I can't imagine... God! What must he have gone through at the hands of those monsters?"

"That's a very good question," Donnie mused thoughtfully. "He wasn't exactly very forthcoming when we talked. Although, that being said, it was a struggle just keeping him awake long enough to bring him back here."

"How long was he there?"

Donnie shook his head in disgust. "Months, at least."

-:-

Just after five thirty, Casey arrived, carrying several pizzas. Splinter immediately put three slices away in the fridge, before joining everyone in the pit where Leonardo and Raphael were bringing Casey up to speed as the group ate.

"This brings up so many new possibilities," Leo was saying. "The trouble is, he may not be willing to talk about what happened to him yet, but if we can find out _how_ he was taken, maybe we can find out what happened to _our_ Mikey."

"What makes you think it's even related?" Casey asked incredulously, gesturing with his pizza filled hand. "Your bro went missing just over a month ago, but from what you guys said, this other Mikey had been a prisoner for a hell of a lot longer!"

"While it may not be related, the fact remains that the Kraang were involved in both incidents."

"Incidents?" Raph snorted derisively, taking exception to Leo's tone and wording. "Our brother's disappearance is a mere 'incident' to you? Could you _be_ any colder, Leo?"

"That's _not_ what I meant and you know it, Raph!" Leo immediately retorted in exasperation.

Splinter fixed both brothers with a warning look and they quickly fell silent.

"Well, we know at least that Mikey couldn't have disappeared via portal," Donnie piped up, breaking the uncomfortable silence a few seconds later. "That room was far too small and they'd never have managed to fit the necessary equipment in there. Besides, we saw no signs of _anything_ like it when we originally managed to get in there."

"One end of a portal fit in that porta-potty the other night," Raph glowered, reminding Donnie and Leo of the events leading up to reaching the Kraang prison.

" _One_ entrance and it appeared to be translocation rather than transdimensional," Donnie emphasised. "Besides, even Mikey wouldn't have gone through something like that, not under those circumstances."

"It's _Mikey_! Of _course_ he would have!" Raph all but exploded in a fit of pique.

All three brothers stared at one another, a sinking feeling weighing down their stomachs and making them feel ill as Raph's words sunk in.

"Let's say for argument's sake that there was one," Leo spoke up calmly a short time later. "He may not have had much choice. There were two Kraang with him in a small, enclosed room. It may have been his only way out."

"If it was the _other_ side of a portal, then maybe..." Donnie said hesitantly. "However, I still maintain that there was no portal equipment within that room, and you both saw the size of the portal and equipment both two nights back and during the invasion. Besides, if they could make portals so small as to fit into _that_ room, then _why_ didn't they just portal in a new power source to replace the one they lost for the original portal at TCRI a few months back?

"There is no way they could have miniaturised the equipment that drastically in so short a time frame."

-:-

Mikey's eyes shot open, taking in the sight of the all pervading darkness surrounding him. Heart pounding frantically, he quickly swallowed his cry of dismay as he realised his rescue was all just another horribly realistic dream. Worse, even though it wasn't the first time he'd had one like it, waking up to the reality of still being a prisoner in that _place_ became harder every time. For untold minutes, he lay there unmoving and smelling the faint stench of 'food', but otherwise, he refused to react. He had no idea why he was being punished in the darkness this time, but he'd sworn long ago not to give them the satisfaction of a reaction if he could at all avoid it

Finally, as his heart rate returned to normal, he pushed himself up, shoving away the blanket covering him. Suddenly, he froze as it hit him. Blanket? The Kraang never gave him such a thing before. Then he realised he was sitting on something much softer and warmer than the cold, metallic ground of his cell. Slowly, almost with disbelief, he turned his head, and calmer than earlier, he could just make out the faint details within the gloom of the room, and the light seeping in from underneath the door.

Michelangelo let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, and in shock whispered, "It wasn't a dream? I really was rescued?" But then sorrow filled his soul again as he remembered, "But I never made it home..."

Reaching out for the blanket he'd unthinkingly shoved aside, he clutched at it, using its softness and warmth to reassure him, before finally releasing it and swinging his feet off the bed onto the ground. Once on his feet, Mikey carefully shuffled his way across the minefield floor, uncertain of where anything might lay.

Arriving at the door, he blindly felt around the frame for the light switch he knew must be there, before flicking it on. Once his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in ambience, Mikey took his first good look at the room around him, jumping in fright at the sight of the looming cut out of some human he'd never seen before beside the door.

Mikey moved back towards the bed, via the only clear path on the floor and chuckled. "Man, and Master Splinter always complained about the mess in _my_ room! Mine's got nothing on this one." He stared around more in curiosity, cringing slightly as he saw all the fast food rubbish. "How the shell this place isn't crawling with cockroaches, I've got no idea!"

As he gazed around from the safety of the bed island surrounded by a sea of garbage, he took in the sight of the action figures, the games, the comics, the empty pizza boxes, well, he _hoped_ they were empty, and posters. To his abject dismay however, he realised nothing at all was familiar; not one comic character or game, and suddenly he felt all the more homesick, all over again.

Mikey let himself fall back onto the bed, sitting with his arms wrapped tightly around himself as it hit him just how different this world was to his own. The realisation that he may never see home again suddenly dawned and he felt sick at the thought of never seeing his family or friends ever again.

" _No_! Get it together, Michelangelo!" he suddenly commanded himself fiercely, slapping at both cheeks. "You didn't let _them_ break you, that last week or so _so_ didn't count, so you're not going to let some stupid thing like not recognising anything get you down now!"

Taking several deep breaths to calm himself, Mikey looked around once more, taking note again of the rubbish strewn everywhere. Okay, he knew he himself had never been a clean freak, but this was beyond anything he'd seen since that cockroach plague when he and his brothers were eleven. Raph had sworn to beat him black and blue if he'd ever let things get that bad again. "Right! If I'm staying here, the rubbish at least has _got_ to go!" Mikey said aloud to the empty room, comforted by the sound of his own _normal,_ lightly accented, if raspy voice; those last days of only being able to speak in _their_ tones when _they_ commanded it, had really gotten to him. He quickly shoved that unpleasant thought away and spoke again, just to hear himself more. "Later though! I've got other things I _have_ to take care of first."

And with that, aware of his growing need, Mikey bounced to his feet and strode to the door. Once he reached it however, he found himself hesitating, suddenly nervous about actually opening it and stepping out to face this new world. He shook his head vehemently, determined not to let this get to him, and forcing a light smile onto his face he opened the door and stepped out, going in search of the bathroom he barely remembered being shown to the night before.

-:-

Washing his hands and feeling so much better, Mikey couldn't help but find his gaze drawn longingly over to the large, nearby shower. It had been so long since his last one and he'd been craving the feeling of deliciously warm water running over his skin and shell. He bit his lip, knowing he really should go greet his rescuers, but also aware of his own fetor. Wherever he went, the faint stench of that awful stuff they'd called food followed. He could only hope it would wash off easily and hadn't instead seeped into his very shell or something over all that time.

Mikey took a quick drink from the running tap, before noticing a brand new toothbrush still in its packet beside the other brushes. Grinning in sheer delight, he picked it up, ripping the packaging away as he trounced over to the shower stall to turn the hot water tap on to full. Then he ran the few short steps back to the sink and slathered the brush with a thick gob of toothpaste. Sighing with happiness over the simple missed luxury, he shoved the toothbrush into his mouth and started to brush, promptly gagging on the taste.

Wincing with disgust, Mikey picked up the tube to stare at it in bewilderment. He couldn't understand it; he _knew_ the brand, he _knew_ the flavour, but it never tasted like that back home. "Think you dudes need to get new toothpaste," he mumbled, mouth still full of froth. It was only because he needed this so badly after so long, that he was able to keep brushing.

As he brushed, Mikey used his free hand to pull the remains of his nunchaku from their torn and damaged holsters within his cobbled together belt, placing them reverently beside the worn sink. Then, spitting the toothpaste, Mikey stepped into the shower, still clad in belt and torn and raggedy mask.

For several minutes, he simply gloried under the steaming water, rinsing his mouth out and drinking more. Finally removing what was left of his gear, Mikey sat on the tiled floor beneath the flowing water with soap and started scrubbing.

It was long after the water ran cold that Mikey turned the shower off and wrung out his gear. Then he dried off and dressed again. For the first time since before he was captured, he finally felt more like himself again and actually ready to face the world.

So plastering what he hoped was a confident smile on his face, Mikey left the bathroom in search of his other-dimensional family.

-:-

Hearing their voices from the room beyond the end of the passageway he was in, Mikey found himself hesitating, an irrational fear suddenly taking hold. He shook his head fiercely in denial, hating the way he felt; it wasn't _him_ for shell's sake! For several minutes longer, he remained out of sight in the shadows, fighting the unfamiliar instinct to turn and flee back to that bedroom, or better yet, the bathroom where he'd actually felt right again. Finally, forcing himself, Mikey swallowed back his trepidation and stepped out into the light.

"Good morning!" he called cheerfully, a bright smile lighting his face, even if it didn't quite manage to reach his eyes.

The conversation in the room suddenly halted as six unfamiliar, or barely familiar, faces turned towards him.

"It's not morning, it's evening," Donnie pointed out, sounding a little put out over needing to point out what to anyone else was the obvious.

"It's morning somewhere in the world," Mikey tossed back, still holding tightly, almost irrationally, onto his smile. However, he didn't make a move from where he stood only metres from the passageway.

The unfamiliar human male seated between Raph and the female human snickered derisively, "He's got you there, D!"

"Shut up, Jones!" Donnie muttered petulantly.

"And who's gonna _make_ me? _You?_ "

"Ahem!" Splinter cleared his throat meaningfully, before the growing argument could escalate any further. He turned to smile tightly at Michelangelo. "It is good to see you awake at last, Michelangelo. Are you feeling any better?"

Mikey nodded emphatically. "Yeah, heaps! It's been forever since I last slept so well, Sensei! It's amazing what a solid, dreamless sleep can do for a turtle!"

"Indeed," Splinter acknowledged with a faint nod. "Why don't you come join us?"

For a moment, Mikey was startled until he realised he hadn't actually moved any closer and worse, that in the past, he wouldn't even have hesitated to do so in the first place. He swallowed before nodding again, then with much effort, began walking slowly towards the pit the mutant family and human friends sat in. As he joined them, his eyes trailed curiously over the two human teenagers. The red headed girl returned his look with a friendly one of her own, while Jones seemed far more intent on watching Splinter warily, as if worried he would be attacked and eaten. As he carefully sat down on a seat a little away from the others, the girl spoke up.

"You don't know us, do you?" she asked softly.

Without taking his eyes off her, Mikey shook his head silently. He had his suspicions but didn't want to speak up in case he was wrong. It really was one thing to play the fool in front of those that knew and cared for him, or to distract opponents with during a fight, but another thing entirely in front of people he didn't know when he was no longer even sure of his place in the world. He saw her face fall slightly before perking up quickly once more.

"I'm April O'Neil and this...

"Neanderthal," Donnie interjected quietly.

"... is Casey Jones," April finished, shooting Donnie a 'look'.

Mikey's eyes widened in surprise to find he would have been right after all, but then he smiled and said quietly, "Hi Ape, Case-man."

While April seemed to start slightly over the unflattering shortening of her name, her smile grew wider at the recognition. "So you do know us then?" she asked in delight.

"Yeah, you just look _really_ different to the April and Casey I know, that's all, dudette."

"D mentioned you told him everyone looked different."

Mikey nodded, only vaguely remembering that conversation; he'd been so tired at the time.

"Do you prefer to be called Mikey or something else?" April asked curiously.

Stunned by the question, Mikey took a moment to answer. "Mikey or Turtle Titan is the best." There was a derisive snort from somewhere to the side, but Mikey continued with a flicker of amusement, "Only when I'm dressed for the occasion though," he added with a cheeky wink at April.

"Really," someone said dryly; Mikey couldn't tell who.

"Honestly though, it doesn't worry me that much, Michelangelo or Mike is fine too. Anything but 'late for dinner'," he finished, before adding to himself, 'or 'the one known as the prisoner'...'

"Speaking of late for dinner," Splinter began, "perhaps our guest is hungry?" he suggested, shooting his sons a pointed look as he spoke.

Leonardo straightened selfconsciously, "We didn't know when you'd be waking up, but we saved you a few slices of pizza," he offered. "They're in the fridge, would you like me to heat them for you?"

Though he'd been dreaming of pizza, among other things, for so long, Mikey's stomach baulked at the thought of all that grease. However, before he could say anything, April piped up.

"Or since you just woke up not long ago, I could make you some breakfast," she offered. "Maybe some pancakes or eggs on toast?"

"Ooh, I'd kill for some pancakes," Mikey moaned, all but drooling at the thought. That was something else he'd been craving, and while sweet, at least it wouldn't be so greasy. He smiled gratefully at April, "You really know the way to a turtle's heart, you know that?"

"I do?" she blinked. "How?"

"Through his stomach," Mikey quickly replied with a slight laugh.

Shaking her head in amusement at the old joke, April stood, asking as she did, "What would you like on them? Maple syrup? Honey? Do you guys have any bananas or strawberries left?" she asked, looking towards Leo, Donnie and Raph.

"No, we had the last of them with breakfast this morning," Leo replied apologetically.

April nodded, turning back to Mikey, "Well, that option's out."

"It's okay," Mikey smiled faintly. "I'm not sure I could handle too much right now anyway. I'll just have them plain."

Nodding again, April left for the kitchen, and as Mikey watched her go, he became aware of everyone else's eyes fixed on him. He turned back to face them, uncomfortable at the scrutiny but staring back regardless.

"Did they feed you regularly?" Splinter suddenly asked, an almost fatherly concern filling his voice.

Mikey continued to stare, now frozen in place as his mind suddenly transported him back into hell.

" _The one known as the Prisoner has refused to eat."_

 _He looks up in fear, realising he can actually hear them through his cell's barrier. As much as hearing something,_ any _thing other than himself should come as a relief, hearing them speak those few words did not bode well for him._

" _Therefore, the ones known as the Kraang will force the one known as the Prisoner to eat."_

 _Seeing the cattleprods once more in the grasp of his tormentors, he scrambles as far from them as he can manage, not taking into account the Kraang that approach him from behind. Suddenly, every nerve is afire as they shock him repeatedly from behind, and he cannot help screaming in pain. The last thing he remembers before waking again, is hearing them say,_

" _Whether the one known as the Prisoner likes it or not."_

 _-:-_

 _Hecan'tbreathe!  
_

 _Writhing uselessly against the tight metallic straps pinning him down, he feels himself drowning; his lungs burning desperately for life giving oxygen._

 _His heart pounds wildly with terror while he gags from the combination of the taste and smell of the foul, malodorous glop which slowly, but inexorably trickles into his mouth via the tube firmly fixed in place, and he is powerless to stop it._

 _He thrashes his head violently from side to side in pure desperation. However the breathing mask, which is also designed to hold the stiff tube violating his mouth in place, is impossible to dislodge and he_ still _can't breathe!_

 _The terror-stricken terrapin attempts to cry out in his hysteria, but the lumpy liquid filling both his mouth and most of the mask covering his beak proves to be an effective gag. He attempts to swallow, knowing it's the only way he can make room for the precious oxygen to flow again, but the first time he tried, it only came straight back up again, filling his mouth once more and leaving him in this hellish predicament._

 _Black spots begin to flood his vision and he knows that if he can't keep the sludge down this time, that this'll be it for him, despite the fact that they say they want him alive. Somehow he manages to swallow but his stomach seethes and convulses from the content assaulting it and as he vomits once more..._

"Michelangelo?" Splinter prompted sharply in concern, worried about the terror-stricken look in the other-dimensional turtle's eyes. He shifted, ready to stand and go shake him from his petrified state.

Mikey jumped, startled, and did his best to push the terrible memories of that foul substance being forced down his throat aside. Suddenly he felt hysterical laughter bubble up his throat and he fought to swallow it back down. Unable to trust his voice, he merely nodded, aware of the wary looks he was receiving from the mutants and human around him. Finally, he closed his eyes to shut them out and managed to recollect himself. "Y... yeah," he eventually mumbled.

"Are you okay, Mikey?" someone asked, and Mikey had to open his eyes to look and see who the voice belonged to; other than Donnie and Splinter, he didn't really know any of their voices well enough to tell yet. He found himself looking at Leonardo, whose expression was filled with worry.

"Yeah," he repeated, a little stronger this time. "I'm fine now, dude."

It was obvious that Leo didn't believe him, but he nodded regardless and backed off, and slowly, Mikey managed to somewhat relax again. Suddenly his stomach grumbled loudly enough for everyone around him to hear.

"Perhaps we should move into the kitchen," Splinter suggested. "It smells as though April is almost done."

Mikey frowned. The only thing he could really smell was the faint remnants of the 'food' from his imprisonment; it still followed him everywhere. No amount of scrubbing in the shower earlier had been able to dislodge it and he was surprised no one had actually complained about it yet. "Sounds like a plan," he said, nodding and hoping he seemed eager enough. Despite being hungry, his stomach was still churning from being trapped in that memory.

Casey was the first to his feet, half running towards the kitchen ahead of everyone else. "Hey Red!" he called cheerfully. "I hope you're making enough for the rest of us too!"

April's answer was lost to Mikey as he slowly followed, glancing around the large family area with both curiosity and as a delaying tactic. He started slightly as Donnie suddenly pulled him aside.

"Uh... You'll probably be better off if you don't eat too much, too fast."

"Why dude?" Mikey frowned again, a little annoyed though he wasn't sure why.

"Because it's been a while since you last ate and I'd hate for you to get sick as a result."

"I ate a few hours before you guys saved me," Mikey assured him dismissively. "I'll be fine! I can hardly _wait_ to have real food again, instead of whatever it was _they_ called food."

"That's my point exactly. You last ate some time _before_ we found you," Donnie explained.

"Yeah, so what's the problem, dude?"

"After we arrived back here, you slept for more than a day and a half, which means it's probably been about two days since you last ate."

"R... really?" Mikey asked, staring in shock. Though that did at least explain why he was as hungry as he was; his appetite had diminished significantly during his imprisonment and no wonder.

Donnie nodded.

"Wow... why didn't anyone wake me?"

"Because you obviously needed it. You were almost dead on your feet the other night."

Mikey was silent for a moment. Then, "Heh, yeah. I can barely even remember much of what happened after Leo and Raph went for your van."

"Train car," Donnie corrected quickly.

"Huh?"

"The Shellraiser is made from an old train car which I converted into an armoured, road worthy vehicle complete with weapons."

"That sounds cool! Can I take a better look later?" Mikey asked with a hopeful grin.

"Sure," Donnie smiled weakly. "Anyway, my point is to take it slow and don't eat too much right away. You can always return for more later, as often as you want to or need to."

Mikey nodded, pleased to hear that he was welcome to help himself. "Don't worry, Don, my stomach's practically made of cast iron," he said, giving his lower plastron a light thump with his left fist. With that, he strode quickly for the kitchen and sat in one of the two remaining seats, looking all around as he did.

"Nice kitchen!" Mikey whistled appreciatively. "It's so bright and airy, especially considering it's in a sewer!"

April giggled, placing a plate with a few pancakes in front of him. "Yeah, it's great. Believe it or not but it's better equipped than my Aunt's kitchen. Just don't let any of these guys try to cook though. If you do, it quickly becomes a disaster." She leaned close and whispered conspiratorially, "None of them can cook to save their lives!"

"Hey! I cook a pretty mean cup noodle!" Casey protested loudly.

"Whatever Jones," April waved her hand dismissively. "That's not cooking, that's just pouring in boiling water and letting it sit awhile."

Mikey chortled, "Nice to know some things are the same then." He glanced cheekily over to Leo. "Do you also destroy poor, _innocent_ toasters like my Leo does?"

"No!" Leo automatically protested.

"Well, there _was_ that _one_ time," Donnie ventured with a small smile.

"And since then, Leo's been banned from touching anything in here other than the kettle," Raph added snidely with a smirk of amusement.

"You should eat them before they get cold," April smiled, lightly nudging Mikey's arm as she spoke and causing him to flinch at her unexpected touch.

April tried to hide her dismay but Mikey caught it anyway and felt bad over his reaction. To make up for it, he immediately cut a huge chunk of pancake off and shoved it into his mouth.

The smell, already made bad enough just by smelling it, hit him twice as hard and the taste almost made him gag. For several moments, Mikey sat there, staring down at his plate in shock, unable to swallow. It didn't take long before he began to shake.

He was _free_ now! There was no one around to force him to eat that fetid slime anymore and he had _real_ food in front of him again.

So why did it taste and smell like nothing had even changed?

-:-

To be continued

* * *

A/N: Part of the flashback quoted from 'The Situation' ch 5.

Please let me know what you think :-)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

Thank you for all the comments, faves and follows and thank you for your patience during the too long wait for the new chapter.

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 4

Date : 20th Sept

Quickly cutting a huge chunk of pancake off, Mikey shoved it into his mouth.

The smell, already made bad enough just by smelling it, hit him twice as hard and the taste almost made him gag. For several long moments, Mikey sat there, staring down at his plate in shock and unable to swallow. It didn't take long before he began to shake, feeling as though he was still trapped in that living nightmare he'd finally escaped from.

But he was _free_ now! There was no one around to force him to eat that fetid slime any more and he had _real_ food in front of him again for the first time in so long.

So why the shell did it taste and smell like nothing had even changed?

"Mikey?" April asked in a small voice, obviously disturbed by his reaction. "Is something wrong?"

With great difficulty, Mikey swallowed the foul tasting mouthful before turning and smiling broadly up at April, shaking his head emphatically. "Nope! Nothing's wrong! It's just been so long since I last ate anything this good that it overwhelmed me, that's all! They smell great!" And with that desperate lie, despite the noises of annoyed disapproval from Donnie, Mikey hurriedly shovelled the rest of his plate's contents into his mouth, chewing and swallowing as fast as possible to get it over with.

Just like he did whenever he was fed while he was still a prisoner.

"Would you like more?" April asked, a hint of worry still in her tone.

Panic filled him at the thought and Mikey shook his head vigorously, wracking his brain to come up with an excuse as to why he didn't want more when he hadn't eaten for so long. "Maybe later, Ape. Don said I shouldn't eat too much too soon and I'm kinda full for now."

"Okay," April replied, accepting his excuse easily. "I'll put the rest of the batter in the fridge for you. Though... can you cook? Because I meant it when I said no one else here can."

Splinter shot April a look, eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Okay, okay! I stand corrected," she laughed. "Master Splinter can cook, to a point."

Mikey smiled, amused by the exchange, "Yeah, I'm pretty good, long as you don't want eggs sunny side up," he admitted, putting on what he hoped was his old cheeky grin.

Leo glanced towards the clock on the stove, noticing how late it was beginning to get; normally they would be leaving to search for their brother soon and he was anxious to prepare. "How about we show you around now?" he suggested, knowing they had to do at least that much before they could go.

"Sure," Mikey agreed cheerily, scrambling to his feet. Anything to get away from the subject of food.

"And after that, I'd like to give you a quick check over, run a few tests," Donnie added, sending a quick look Leo's way.

Mikey froze before warily turning to look up at Donnie. "Do... you have to?"

"It would be for the best," Donnie replied frowning, puzzled by the sudden change in Mikey's mood. "After what you've been through, I need to make sure you're healthy. Not to mention, find out if your blood is compatible with any of ours, just in case it ever becomes necessary. I'd also like to make sure your arm healed properly."

"It healed..." Mikey mumbled sullenly. "They took the... cast... off like two weeks ago."

"Thought you said you didn't know how much time passed?" Raph accused, scowling suddenly at Mikey.

"I didn't! I don't!" he protested weakly, hands held out in front as if to ward Raph off. "I'm guessing based on how many times they fed me since then!"

"And how many times was that?" Leo quickly asked as he remembered Splinter's earlier concern and Mikey's reaction to his questions.

Shrugging, Mikey answered, "Fifteen."

"Do you mean they only feed you once a day?" April asked, horror filling her voice as she stared at the abused turtle in shock.

Mikey shrugged again. "I'm not sure but I think so. But hey, trust me! Once a day was _far_ more than enough." He smiled as he answered, pretending to make light of it, all the while just wanting to change the topic again. Or run off, as far away as possible from their questioning. "So dudes, what's the first room on this tour?"

-:-

His tour long over, Mikey stared intently at the anatomy posters on the wall, not really interested in them but not willing to actually look at Donnie either, all while wishing like shell the tall turtle would just let him go already. The other dimensional version of his genius brother had started out by taking a blood sample which, despite the accompanying reassuring words, made him extremely uncomfortable right off the bat. Then as he worked, he began bombarding Mikey with questions about his captivity, how he was treated and what they'd done to him during the time. Questions requiring answers that were the last thing Mikey wanted to think about right now, let alone actually talk about.

"I'm _trying_ to _help_ you Mike, but I _can't_ without _information_ ," Donnie finally burst out in exasperation when Mikey obstinately dug in his heals, refusing to answer another of his confronting questions.

"You've already helped me, I'm fine now," Mikey replied stiffly, still refusing to turn and look at the turtle who both was, and wasn't, his brother.

"So you keep saying, but after _months_ of mistreatment at the hands or tentacles of beings like the Kraang, _no one would be!_ But fine," Donnie grumbled, "I'll back off for tonight _._ However, we _will_ be having this conversation again in the next few days."

Mikey shrugged dismissively, relieved to be off the hook at last, even if only temporarily. "So can I go already?"

"Not yet," Donnie replied, his tone growing distant as he thought about what still needed to be done. "I'm going to have to wait on the blood test results to finish compiling and that's going to take a number of hours, but at a glance, you seem to be in relatively good health. You don't even seem to be malnourished. As far as I can tell, you do appear to be underweight, although I'm sure that at least will change in the near future as you begin to eat properly again."

Mikey stiffened. He'd always loved snacking and eating, but if everything was going to taste like _that_ from now on, he wasn't sure he wanted to ever again.

Hearing Donatello approaching him from behind, he warily turned around to face him. At the sight of the device Donnie held in his oversized hands, his eyes widened in fright. "What's that?" Mikey asked, taking an abrupt, fearful step backwards.

"This?" Donnie held the hand held unit up as he asked, noticing how Mikey flinched from it as he did. "It's simply a portable scanner that works somewhat like an x-ray machine but with no harmful radiation. It'll allow me to take a look inside your arm, beneath your skin to see how well your bones healed."

Mikey's gaze remained fixated on the device. "It's _their_ tech, isn't it," he stated flatly.

Donnie glanced down at the scanner again before looking back to Mikey. "Well, yes," he admitted in surprise, "or at least it was. I repurposed it from scrap parts I found laying around after various battles."

"Well I don't want it anywhere near me!" Mikey snapped. Without realising, he backed away further, hitting the nearby wall and looking around in near panic.

"It won't _hurt_ you, Michelangelo," Donnie said, head canted slightly in exasperation. "I designed this _myself_."

"I don't _care_ , dude! I don't want it _near_ me!" It was all he could do to control his breathing as he kept his eyes fixated on the device Donnie held towards him.

"Well I _need_ to know how well your arm healed so I can instruct you on the best way to rehabilitate it without causing damage or straining it if it's not quite ready! That means I _need_ to be able to see the bones, and since I don't have access to an old fashioned x-ray machine, _this_ is the _only_ way!"

Shaking his head wildly and still unable to take his gaze off the former Kraang technology, Mikey retorted, "I've broken bones before so I already know the exercises! And I was doing them just fine until about a week ago so you don't need to use _that_ on me!"

Donnie was about to snap back when Mikey's words suddenly hit him. Instead he paused, mulling over the new information the other turtle let slip, then asked, "Why didn't you continue with the exercises over the last week?"

"You saw what they did to that plant and spider mutant, didn't you?" Mikey asked coldly. "Who do you think they tested that thing on first!"

And with that, he pushed roughly past Donatello and escaped from the lab, leaving a suddenly pale Donnie watching after him and muttering, "Oh Mikey..."

-:-

"The dude's a bit defensive, don't you think?" Casey asked as he landed on the next rooftop where the turtles and April already stood waiting for him.

"Give him a break, Casey," April scolded, tossing Casey an unimpressed look. "It's obvious he's been through a lot."

"A lot more than he's telling us..." Donnie muttered, agreeing.

"Considering he hasn't told us anything yet, that's a given!" Raph interjected rudely, glaring back in the general direction of the lair.

"He's barely said much of anything to any of us," Leo agreed. He turned to look at his younger, genius brother, "You've spent longer with him than the rest of us put together, Donnie. Has he said much to you?"

"Not a lot," Donnie admitted with a sigh. "Enough to know he's extremely traumatised by his experience though, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"How can you dudes even know he _is_ who he says he is anyway?" Casey asked suspiciously, looking from one brother to the next. "I mean, _look_ at him! He doesn't look anything like Mikey, unless you count the fact that he's a giant turtle, and he doesn't sound or act anything like him either!"

"He's from another _dimension_ , Jones. Another _reality_. That means his life is different to ours in some way. Whether it's a small or large difference depends on how events in that world shaped his life and the lives of those around him," Donnie explained with more than a hint of condescension in his tone.

"You watch 'Space Heroes', right Casey?" Leo suddenly asked, turning to look intently at the vigilante.

"Yeah!" Casey admitted.

Raph snorted derisively, earning a quick glance from his friend.

"Well, I used to anyway. Not any more!" Casey quickly added. "I outgrew it."

"Well then, do you remember the episode, 'Reflection, Reflection'?" Leo asked. When Casey just stared at him, he sighed and continued. "It's the episode where due to a transporter accident, Captain Ryan and three of his crew end up in an alternate universe where the entire crew was evil?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that one! It was one of the better ones!" Casey exclaimed. "So wait, Leo! You're saying that this Mikey is our Mikey's evil counterpart and you not only trusted him enough to bring him back to the lair but also left him alone with Master Splinter?" he asked, suddenly worried by the thought.

"No! Of course not!" Leo vehemently denied, shocked at the suggestion.

Raph spluttered and punched Casey hard in the arm for his stupidity. "No way is he evil! He's just lost and hurt!"

Leo nodded at Raph before turning back to Casey. "No, what I'm saying is, that on that episode, something in the past changed that world to a point that the whole _world_ changed, in that case, in a devastating way. This Mikey, his world, like in the episode, is also different, though probably not to that extreme. But either way, it _is_ different and that makes _his_ life, _his_ experiences different to ours. That's why he looks and sounds so different. As for him acting different..."

"That could be partially due to the differences in his life to ours, which we have yet to determine," Donnie continued, picking up where Leo trailed off. "However, it would also have a lot to do with the months of forced separation from his family and all he knows and loves, not to mention his mistreatment at the tentacles of the Kraang. He's had to find ways to adjust and cope with his imprisonment, and now that he's free, he needs to readjust all over again, while learning to deal with and accept the horrors that he went through."

"Okay, I get it," Casey said. "But you're _sure_ the dude can be trusted, _right_?"

"He's our brother, Casey," Raph sighed. "He's just not _our_ Mikey."

"But again, are you _sure_ about that? You never know, he could just be some weirdo pretending to be a Mikey, or something made by the Kraang to believe that he is."

"Yes, we can sense it," Leo firmly assured. "He's definitely who he says he is, even if he _isn't_ what we expect."

"Alright," Casey said in relief. "If you guys really trust him, I will too."

"Good! Now let's keep moving," Leo commanded, glad to be back on track at last. "We have a mission to do and standing here arguing isn't going to get it accomplished."

The group fell silent again as they resumed their run across the dark skyline. After some time, a deserted warehouse came into view. One that left everyone, but three in particular, with a cold, sick feeling in their very souls.

"Tell me why we've come back here again?" Casey whispered, leaning towards April. "I thought we searched every inch of this dump like five times over already."

"That was before they found another Mikey," April murmured back as the three turtles ran ahead. "Now that the possibility of dimensional travel has come up, Donnie wants to run some scans to see if there's any signs of dimensional activity here."

"And if there is?"

"If there is, then that means that our Mikey most likely isn't on our Earth any more."

-:-

Calmer now, Mikey rolled over onto his shell, propping himself up onto his elbows as he gazed around the unfamiliar room again. He soon found his eyes drawn towards the creepy cut out he'd seen when he first woke up several hours ago, and to the eyes which seemed to be boring down at him. For a couple of minutes, he stared back and when he couldn't take any more, Mikey bounced off the bed to his feet, hurriedly crossing the room.

Once there, Mikey grabbed hold of the cardboard figure and turned it around so it faced the wall. Then finally breathing a sigh of relief that there were no more eyes staring towards him, he wandered back to the bed, flopping down upon it once more.

For all of five minutes he lay there, eyes drifting lazily around his borrowed room even as his mind kept returning to that awful conversation with Donnie in the lab earlier. He'd been irrational, he knew that, but he still didn't want to talk about the last few months of his life, or let that plundered tech anywhere near him. Donnie needed to understand that, and that he hadn't meant to take his insecurities and fears out on him.

"Donnie was only trying to help, just like Don would've," Mikey whispered, trying to convince himself even when his heart tried to tell him otherwise. "He didn't deserve the way you treated him..."

With another sigh, Mikey pushed himself back up until he was sitting on the bed, clutching tightly at the bedspread his until knuckles paled, even as his eyes darted nervously around the room once more. The longer he stayed here, the more uncomfortable he felt. While he knew a lot of that was to do with the terrible memory of snapping at and pushing Donnie, he knew that wasn't the only reason, but he didn't know what else could be bothering him.

As he tried to think, Mikey clenched his eyes tightly closed. Finally, there were no alien eyes upon him, constantly invading his privacy; something he'd been dreaming of for so long. It was great being able to be truly alone at last, yet he realised that now that he was, all he wanted was company.

With a soft cry of frustration, Mikey knew he needed to go find Donnie and apologise. Even if this Donnie was snappish and irritable, he needed him, and he was _still_ Donnie, just _different_.

And besides, he needed _someone_...

Decision finally made, Mikey jumped to his feet and crossed the room once more, this time actually opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. Quickly closing the door behind himself, Mikey realised he already felt far better, somehow relieved to simply be out of that room. Swallowing back his trepidation and glancing down the hall, Mikey set off down it on his way to the lab to apologise.

Finding his breath quickening as he crossed the large living space with its pinball machine and arcade games, Mikey was struck by how unnaturally silent everything seemed. He'd never been fond of the silence, always finding the need to fill it, whether with chatter, music or laughter, or even a combination of the three. Now however, he found it completely unnerving and knew that if he closed his eyes, despite the occasional dings from the nearby machines, he could easily imagine he was back in that tiny cell, only able to hear his own voice, or _theirs_ if they actually deigned to speak to him, and he shuddered at the thought.

He immediately began humming loudly to fill the void, not even stopping his tune as he knocked heavily on the lab door. When there was no answer, the lost turtle let himself in, only to find the room empty. Biting his lower lip, Mikey turned around and began searching the rest of the lair, stopping only to turn the television on for desperately needed background noise.

Finally, as Michelangelo poked his head into the deserted dojo, realisation that once again he was all alone hit him, and it was all he could do not to break down at the terrifying thought.

-:-

* * *

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.


	5. Chapter 5

Warnings: Brief mention of torture.

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Edited to add: Greys-giovana drew another awesome art for one of the scenes of this chapter, it's available on Deviant Art http:(backslash)(backslash) (backslash) dat655v Thank you :-) (pst! She is also responsible for the cover art for both this story and for 'AOtGO' itself)

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 5

Date : 20th Sept

Mikey began humming loudly enough to fill the void, not even stopping his tune as he knocked heavily on the lab door. When there was no answer the lost turtle let himself in, only to find the room empty. Biting his lower lip, Mikey turned around and began searching the rest of the lair, stopping only to turn the television on for desperately needed background noise.

As Michelangelo poked his head into the deserted dojo, realisation that once again he was all alone hit him and it was all he could do not to break down at the terrifying thought.

For several minutes he stood in the doorway, staring in at nothing as he fought to fight his rising panic and too quick breaths. "I haven't been abandoned. This is their home, they'll be back," he whispered over and over like a mantra, trying desperately to convince his heart of what his head knew to be true.

Finally, he managed to pry apart his clenched fists and instead brought his hands into contact with the remains of his ruined nunchucks, allowing the familiar cracked and damaged wood to soothe him as it did so many times while in captivity. Calmer now, Mikey gazed around the dojo. He'd been shown it just a couple of hours or so ago during his tour, but he hadn't really given it much notice. At the time, he'd been far too distracted by the looming threat of being dragged into the lab for tests to be able to take much of the lair in.

Now his jaw dropped at the sight of the huge, _healthy_ tree thriving underground, and without realising, took a step towards it, then another. The moment his toes hit the first of the worn, yet still beautiful rugs, the spell was broken, and fully cognizant of where he was, he bowed deeply in respect for the room and its teachings, before stepping onto the rug properly and gazing around in abject wonder.

Slowly, Mikey wandered the room, absorbing the atmosphere and surprisingly bright airiness. He gazed at the weapons racks with a faint smile, gawped at the traditional Japanese screen that his Leo would have killed for, and breathed deeply by the tree, hoping to be soothed by its natural fragrance. Unfortunately, pretty much all he could still smell was the awful odour of that stuff his captors had called food. However, he wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking or not, but he thought he could detect a faint fresh woody scent behind it.

Reaching the tree, Mikey noticed the altar and found himself drawn to it. In wonder and curiosity over who the people were, he reached out to touch the displayed family photo, a strange melancholy filling his soul.

"Are you feeling any better, Michelangelo?" an accented voice suddenly spoke from behind, causing Mikey to jump and whirl about, hands automatically drawing the remains of his weapons and holding them at the ready as though kali sticks. Upon realising it was Splinter that snuck up on him, he immediately sheathed them once more, before turning back to the photo.

"Yeah... Where's everyone else, Master Splinter?" he asked, his voice hollow and distant sounding, even to his own hearing.

"They returned to the location in which they lost their brother a month ago," Splinter explained, coming to stand by his right side. "Upon meeting you, they realised there was a chance that maybe the reason they cannot find any trace of him could be because he is trapped in another dimension."

"Oh..." Mikey muttered distantly. He hoped not, because if that was the case they could search forever and never find him. "How... did he disappear?"

"In an altercation with the Kraang."

Mikey stiffened at the sound of their name and the unwanted memories it conjured. He clenched his fists tightly enough that he could feel his nails digging into the flesh of his palms. "I hope for his sake that _they_ _don't_ have him," he said softly, vehemently.

Splinter cast a sideways look at Michelangelo, noticing how on edge the other dimensional turtle became at the mere mention of the Kraang. "Do not worry, Michelangelo. If they did have him, I doubt they hold him any longer."

Mikey swallowed painfully but didn't return the look, just continuing to stare forwards at that photo on the shrine. "What makes you think that?"

"While in the spiritual plane a little over a week ago, Leonardo connected to his brother's spirit ever so briefly," Splinter explained. "While he could not ascertain the full situation, it did not appear to involve any of them."

Mikey nodded silently, a lump in his throat preventing him from speaking. He'd tried so hard and so often to connect with his family through the Astral Plain, and yet never managed to. He wasn't sure if he was happy or upset that his own counterpart succeeded where he'd failed.

After a while, Splinter spoke up once more, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Donatello said you'd needed some time alone."

Glancing up at the much taller ninjutsu master, Mikey let loose a brief, humourless laugh. "You'd think... after all that time alone that I wouldn't be able to handle being by myself again for even a minute. Especially since I never really liked being alone in the first place."

"I am certain that everything would seem a little overwhelming right now," Splinter observed calmly. "Sometimes time alone can be of help to get your head around things."

"Yeah... I guess," Mikey nodded. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up again. "I was so alone for so long, Master Splinter... there was no one to talk to, no one to listen to me... There was only _them_ and their creepy _eyes_... They were _always_ watching me, Sensei. _Every_ minute of _every_ day. They... they _never_ stopped.

"It didn't even matter to them _what_ I was doing... eating, sleeping... training... even … even relieving myself... Whatever I did, they were there and _watching_ me! _Constantly._ "

The words were soft but still they poured out like a leak in a cracked dam, unable to be plugged due to the sheer pressure behind them. Splinter didn't say a word. Instead, he just stood listening silently, patiently, as his alternate dimensional son spilled his guts.

One hand snaked its way up his arm to his elbow, yet Mikey still stood facing the photo on the small shrine, unable to bring himself to look over at the mutant rat. "I... I guess they wanted to learn everything they could about me, training and whatever else... so they could use it against your family..."

"That is quite possible," Splinter agreed quietly. "We have been open enemies since the first night my sons went topside."

"I'm sorry... Whenever I _did_ try to train in that place, the crowd watching me grew. I knew it and still kept right on doing it... _I had no choice, Master Splinter!_ " Mikey suddenly cried out, whirling to finally look the humanoid rat in the eyes, expecting disappointment from the ninjutsu master and needing to see the devastating truth for himself. "I _knew_ they wanted to learn by watching me, but I kept right on doing it anyway! I... I needed to, or... or I would have gone _insane_ in that _place_!"

"It is quite alright, Michelangelo," Splinter soothed gently.

" _No! It's not! It was selfish of me! They learned secrets they never should have!_ " Mikey spat, fully hating himself for his weakness during the long months of his capture. "I _needed_ something to focus on to take my mind off the boredom and loneliness and I betrayed you guys in the process!"

Splinter quickly stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the distraught turtle, simply holding him close until his shaking died down. "I would rather you have kept up your training if you were able than not to do so. Especially if it helped you to get through that deplorable situation."

Mikey sniffled loudly, though there were no signs of tears. "I... I told myself, kept telling myself it was so I could be ready in case I ever got a chance to escape, but... I just..."

"You never found an opportunity?" Splinter asked, interrupting Michelangelo before he could blame himself further for doing what he had to do to survive.

"Just once..." Mikey eventually admitted, standing stiffly in Splinter's embrace. While he wanted so badly to return the hug from this unusual other-dimensional version of his father, he didn't feel like he deserved to take comfort from it. "It didn't end so well..."

"What happened?" came the softly spoken question.

Unable to bring himself to talk about it further, Mikey shook his head mutely and pulled away, facing the altar once more to avoid looking into the sensei's eyes. His temporary escape had had terrible consequences that had led to so much pain, uncertainty and terror.

As Splinter stood there waiting for Michelangelo to speak up once more, Mikey suddenly nodded towards the photo, going out of his way to change the subject.

"So... who are they?"

Splinter looked to the photo in surprise. "They are my family. My wife, my daughter and myself."

"Really?" Mikey whipped his head around to stare at Splinter in shock. "You used to be human?"

"Of course," Splinter replied in bemusement.

"Seriously?" When Splinter nodded, Mikey continued. "That explains the really odd vibe I've been getting from you."

Splinter quirked his eyebrows. "Odd vibe, Michelangelo?"

Mikey darkened as the blood rushed to his face. "Uh... I don't mean that in a bad way. Just... different. Weird!"

"Weird?" Splinter echoed again, doing his best to hide his amusement.

Mikey's blush deepened as he realised he was just digging himself in deeper. "Eh heh... uh... do you mind if I shut up now, before I stick my foot in it so far I can't get it out again?"

Now Splinter allowed himself to chuckle. "My own Michelangelo wouldn't have even asked. He would have just kept going until he choked himself."

Mikey's grin was small but sheepish. "Heh! I probably would normally too," he admitted quietly, looking away again, "but... I know I haven't quite bounced back yet."

"That is understandable, Michelangelo."

Mikey quickly nodded towards the photo again, "So... if you were human, who were you then?"

Splinter canted his head as he looked sadly but fondly at the reminder of the precious memories of the past. "My name was Hamato Yoshi; my wife, Tang Shen; and my daughter, Miwa."

Mikey's jaw all but hit the ground as he stared at Splinter as if seeing a ghost. Splinter gazed back, vaguely bemused by the turtle's reaction.

"What is the matter, Michelangelo?"

For a moment Mikey stood there, mouth gaping like a goldfish. "That makes you my grandpa," he admitted once he could bring himself to speak again. Suddenly, Mikey straightened as the realisation of what he'd said hit. "Can I call you that?" he asked eagerly.

"I am not old enough to be anyone's grandfather. I am only forty," Splinter admitted with a chuckle. "What would possess you to think of me as such anyway?"

Mikey glanced nervously back towards the tree. "Can we sit?"

"Of course."

Once there and seated comfortably, Mikey pulled out one of his broken nunchaku handles from its raggedy leather holster and clutched it tightly with both hands. Taking a deep breath, he then told Splinter the story of how his own Splinter had started life as the pet of Tang Shen, and how after she died, the Hamato Yoshi of his world had taken the pet with him to start anew in New York City. He spoke of his father learning by constantly watching and mimicking the human who cared for him so lovingly, and how his Splinter had come to consider Yoshi as both a Master and father figure. Mikey then told of how Yoshi too had been murdered and how the rat escaped, only to find his brothers and himself in the mutagen and how they all changed soon after. Then he talked about how they'd grown up on stories of the human who, if still alive, would have essentially been their grandfather. Throughout the story, Splinter stayed silent, listening intently to the otherworldly tale.

After some time Mikey fell quiet, staring anxiously up at the former human in front of him.

"Your world's Hamato Yoshi sounds like quite the hero, Michelangelo," Splinter finally observed.

"He was... I only wish we could have met him," Mikey admitted. Then he smiled softly. "At least now I can say I met you."

"But I am not the same person. I did not experience those events," Splinter pointed out, brows raised.

Mikey shrugged. "Doesn't matter, you're still him. Just another dimensional version of him," he said matter-of-factly. Then with a faint mischievous smile, quickly added, "Grandpa."

Splinter shook his head in mild exasperation. "I must say you quite surprise me, Michelangelo."

Mikey couldn't help but lean away, unable to hide his wariness at Splinter's sudden statement. "How..." he swallowed. "How so, Sensei?"

"For someone who has been alone with no one to talk to for so long, your voice isn't even showing any signs of strain after all that talking."

"Heh! Yeah, well, Raph always _did_ say I like the sound of my own voice. And he's right," Mikey added, unwilling to meet Splinter's eyes or elaborate further. Throughout his long months of imprisonment, he'd often talked back to, or outright mocked _them_ , but that wasn't the main reason he'd spoken so much. After all, he couldn't even be sure they were listening. No, the real reason he'd spoken so much during that time was simply to hear _something_. The forcefield barrier surrounding him cut out all sound from the outside, so unless they were actively giving him orders, there was never anything but the dreadfully monotonous white noise to hear. As a result, he'd needed to fill it as often as he could.

That and he'd been terrified of losing himself there. He'd sworn early on not to let them break him, not to give them the satisfaction, and he'd done fairly well, he thought.

At least, until that last week or so...

Mikey swallowed and clenched his fists tightly again, not noticing his nails starting to dig in hard enough to draw blood.

Splinter immediately reached over to take first one hand, then the other, gently opening each fist while Mikey stared at his actions, startled.

"You do not need to speak of things you do not wish to speak of just yet, Michelangelo," Splinter soothed in an understanding tone. "However, know that I am here when you are ready. Even if it should be in the middle of the night."

Mikey nodded numbly, shifting his gaze up to meet Splinter's warm one once again.

"My sons should be returning home shortly unless they found a lead to their brother or ran into trouble on the surface. Curfew is at midnight."

"Midnight?" Mikey asked distantly. "Why so early?"

"They are only fifteen and training begins at seven thirty," Splinter explained. "While you may take a few days to adjust if you like, I do expect you to join us while you are with us. Do not worry, I am aware you will need time to recoup your strength and stamina so I will go easier on you to begin with."

Mikey nodded, grateful to be included. "But seven thirty? That's practically the crack of dawn," he protested faintly. "I'll never be able to wake up on time."

"I am sure your sleep pattern is... how would you younger people say it? 'Out of whack'? After your recent experiences you would need to readjust anyway. I am certain you will do fine."

Mikey cringed. 'Out of whack' or not, he knew he'd have trouble adjusting to getting up that early.

"What time does your own family usually train?"

"More like ten thirty or eleven," Mikey shrugged. He looked away again, irrationally feeling as though he'd be judged for his family's different habits.

"Why would you train so late? You have the most energy first thing in the morning."

"That _is_ first thing! Seriously, Sensei! It's not like we can go topside during the day anyway, so we're up most of the night instead. Besides, those hours suit Master Splinter better anyway."

Splinter canted his head curiously. "Why would it be better for your sensei?"

"He was born a normal rat, remember?" Mikey shrugged. "They're far more active at night than in the day."

"Ah, that does make sense."

"Perzactly! It's also far easier to scavenge for food and supplies while it's dark too," Mikey further elaborated.

"I see."

"Um... Sensei? There's something I don't understand," Mikey began with trepidation as a thought that had been bugging him for the last few minutes reared its head again.

Splinter raised his eyebrows. "You know you may ask anything," he prompted when the turtle hesitated.

"One... one of your family is missing but you're keeping everyone else to a curfew instead of letting them look all night. We... you can't go out in the day to search, so... so why don't you let them search as much as they can... until dawn?"

"That is a fair question and I assure you, I do have good reason, Michelangelo," Splinter admitted.

When Mikey raised his eyes to look questioningly at the humanoid rat, Splinter stood and walked over to the shrine, silently staring at it with his back ramrod straight and his hands clasped behind. After a time, he finally spoke up.

"When our Michelangelo first disappeared, I allowed the rest of my sons to do just that. They would search until dawn every night, many a time cutting it far too close and almost being spotted by the humans above. I even scaled our usual training regimen down to a mere hour a day so they could get the rest they needed to continue searching come nightfall. Unfortunately, the days went on with no sign of their brother anywhere..."

"So you just gave up?" Mikey whispered, feeling betrayal as if it were him they were talking about instead of his lost counterpart.

Splinter shook his head sharply but didn't turn to look. "Of course not! However, searching was taking its toll on them. When they came home after dawn, they should have been going immediately to bed, resting, but even when they did, they were always up again soon after," he explained. "Donatello would search the internet and CCTV constantly; Leonardo would practise himself into exhaustion, often to the point of collapse, and Raphael..." Splinter trailed off and sighed. None of it had been pretty.

"In their desperation, they weren't coping with the change in their schedules. My sons were constantly exhausted and worse, becoming sloppy. After a few weeks of allowing this to continue and a few extremely close calls topside, close calls that my sons tried to hide, I had enough. Both for their sakes and Michelangelo's, I forbade them from going out one night."

Mikey gave a nod that he knew Splinter couldn't see.

"That was the night Leonardo connected with Michelangelo within the Astral Plain."

"Oh..." Mikey said softly

"Leonardo, ever so briefly, saw through his brother's eyes that night, and though he was in trouble at the time, Leonardo saw someone he felt sure would help." Splinter finally turned around, facing Michelangelo where he still sat. "That was also the first time we began to suspect that perhaps Michelangelo was trapped in another dimension somehow. Though Donatello swears there was no dimensional equipment at the site they lost him at."

"The first time?" Mikey echoed faintly. "What was the second?"

Splinter gave a small smile. "When they discovered you two nights back."

Mikey stared up at Splinter from where he still sat, speechless.

"That first night was a little over a week ago now," Splinter explained. "It was after that that I decided to reinstate the curfew once more. Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello cannot help Michelangelo if they burn themselves out, or get themselves injured or killed in the process. Does that answer your question sufficiently?"

Mikey nodded without a word, swallowing once more.

At that moment, Splinter's ears twitched and he looked towards the dojo entrance. "My sons have just returned," he said. "Do not stay up much longer, Michelangelo. You may have slept much in the past two days but you are obviously still in need your rest."

Mikey nodded again, acknowledging him. It was true, he still felt pretty done in. Standing and doing his best to smile, Mikey said softly, "Thanks for the company and the ear." Then he headed towards the door.

"Michelangelo," Splinter suddenly called out as Mikey neared the exit. Mikey turned back to face him and Splinter continued, "Do not forget what I said. My door is open to you any time of the day or night should you feel the need to talk."

"Thanks, Sensei," Mikey replied with an appreciative smile, before allowing it to turn mischievous. "Goodnight grandpa!" he called and quickly stepped out of the room.

As Mikey left, he was sure he heard Splinter mutter, "I can see this Michelangelo will be just as much of a handful as my own son."

And for the first time he could remember since he saved Donnie and this all began, his laugh, though quiet, was real.

-:-

* * *

A/N: After much debate, I decided to post ch 5 of 'Aftermath' instead of ch 26 of 'AOtGO' for a couple of reasons. One, I am slightly unsure of a developing subplot in the other and wish to think on it more and two, the main reason, is that today is Christmas. While neither story is Christmassy, I thought the more positive ending of this chapter was better suited for being posted on this day of the year.

Thank you, everyone, for your support through the year. It means far more than you could realise.

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 6

Date: 21th Sept

"Did you just call Master Splinter _grandpa_?"

Mikey turned to see the other three turtles staring at him dumbfounded, Raph though, looked almost ready to burst a blood vessel.

"Yeah, dude, I do believe I did," he replied with a hint of a smile at the edges of his mouth.

"Why the _hell_ would you do that?" Raph instantly demanded, taking a quick step closer.

Mikey shrugged, "Because I like grandpa better than granddad, grandpop or poppy?" he questioned.

"He means, _why_ would you call our _father_ that?" Leo immediately pointed out, hoping to stave off the fight he could see coming.

"What else do you call your dad's dad?" Mikey asked nonchalantly with another shrug. He then glanced mischievously at Donnie. "Wait, Don, don't answer that! If you list _all_ the possible names, we'll be here all night."

Donnie gave him a look of disbelief before asking, "Are you saying in your world that Master Splinter _isn't_ your father?"

"Well... Master Splinter is, yeah," Mikey admitted, "but Hamato Yoshi isn't."

"Fascinating," Donnie mused thoughtfully, exchanging glances with his brothers. "I'd love to hear about how that's possible, but it sounds as though it might be a story better saved for when it's not quite so late at night."

Mikey nodded, thinking back to how long it had taken for him to tell the Splinter of this world his tale. "Too true, dude."

"You're looking better than earlier this evening," Donnie observed quietly, changing the subject.

Inwardly, Mikey cringed, remembering his earlier behaviour towards the turtle who was only trying to help him. "Yeah... about that... I'm really sorry, dude," Mikey said softly. "I didn't mean to take things out on you."

Donnie smiled broadly in relief, his diastema in clear view. "Does that mean you'll let me do the scan?" he asked hopefully.

" _No way in shell_!" Mikey retorted instantly, shaking his head adamantly and backing up a few steps. "Sorry, Donnie, but I... I just _can't,_ " he exclaimed, his eyes silently pleading Donnie to stop asking.

Raph rolled his eyes, "Don't be such a baby! It's just a scan," he scoffed rudely, his annoyance over Mikey's lack of cooperation loud and clear.

Mikey shot Raph a reproachful look. He knew he was right, but after everything that had happened to him recently... "You don't understand," he muttered, looking away as he spoke. "You can't..."

"Then explain it to us," Leo suggested helpfully. "Or at least explain it to Donnie."

"It's okay," Donnie quickly piped up. "Don't push him when he's clearly not ready."

"Thanks..." Mikey said quietly, his relief obvious. He looked up again, realising Donnie was approaching him slowly.

"Look, Mike, we really do need to know how well your arm has healed, but if you won't let me see the easy way, then you will _need_ to be completely honest and let us know of _any_ pain or even discomfort you experience with it, so we can help you with your rehabilitation. If you aren't, you could push things too hard or too fast during training and end up doing more harm than good."

Mikey nodded, relieved that Donnie wasn't going to push the subject anymore. "I'll try."

"Not try, _do_ ," Donnie insisted. "But you know, you didn't have a problem with Metalhead the other night."

"Huh?" Mikey asked blankly, staring at Donnie as if he'd just grown a second head.

"I created Metalhead out of repurposed Kraang scrap too," Donnie explained quietly, gauging Mikey's reaction carefully as he spoke.

"R... really?" Mikey asked in a small voice.

"Yes, really."

"If it wasn't for Metalhead, I'd still be..." Mikey trailed off, unable to voice, or even think about what they'd done to him at the end. He knew he was a mess from that, shell, he had every right to be, but he didn't want anyone else to know how he'd managed to hold up right until the end and then let them break him, right as rescue was finally around the corner.

He didn't want them to know just how weak he truly was.

Donnie nodded, understanding, "If Metalhead, made from discarded Kraang tech, hadn't led us to that prison, you and everyone else would still be there now," he explained gently. "But he _did_ lead us there and as a result, you and everyone else was freed and able to get away."

Mikey stole a glance towards Donnie's lab and Donnie noticed he was teetering. "How about I show you how the scanner works on myself and you can make up your mind after that?"

Agonising over the other turtle's words, Mikey hesitated a while more, then nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

"Great!" Donnie grinned brilliantly. He headed for his lab, waiting at the door for Michelangelo. When Leo and Raph made to follow, Donnie quickly shook his head. "Sorry guys, just the two of us."

Leo nodded, understanding, "In that case, I think I'll just head to bed then."

"Best plan you've ever had, Lame-o-nardo," Raph mocked with a smirk, following Leo towards the bedrooms.

"It definitely beats your 'punch everything in sight until it's unconscious and _then_ ask questions' plans," Leo retorted good-naturedly.

"Which is far better than standing around preparing stupid speeches or posing like that loser Captain Ry..."

"Don't worry about those two, they're _always_ riding each other," Donnie smiled, shaking his head as Mikey anxiously hesitated at the door, watching as the two brothers disappeared into the hallway.

Mikey promptly nodded, "Yeah, my Leo and Raph are like that too."

"Would you feel better if I left the door open?"

Mikey hesitated once more, thinking about it. "You know what, dude? I think I would."

"I thought so," Donnie nodded, leaving it wide open as he walked further inside.

"You did? _Why_?" Mikey asked, turning and staring perplexed after the genius.

"I noticed last time you were in here that you seemed more anxious once the door closed, and that's saying something, seeing as how you were already anxious before that," Donnie admitted, hoping his observation wouldn't cause the other turtle to put up walls again. "I'm sorry that I didn't really think about it until afterward."

"I never cared about closed doors before," Mikey said doubtfully, following Donnie inside, "so why would I now?"

"You were probably never held captive in such a small cell before," Donnie pointed out indelicately. "This will take a few minutes, I need to set everything up," he explained, switching on power to the other computer, the one not currently running analysis on Mikey's blood samples taken earlier that night.

Swallowing, Mikey nodded. "You're wrong, dude. I've been held in small places before, even chained."

"But for as long?"

"No..." Mikey eventually admitted quietly. "And the previous times I wasn't really alone either..."

Donnie turned away to pick up his scanner, powering it on. "There you go, then. Look, Mike, it's going to take a while for you to get past whatever you've been through, and it's not going to happen overnight. Be patient with yourself and talk to one of us; it'll help. We may have our own problems right now, but all of us are willing to help when and how we can. Okay?"

"Okay... Thanks, Don..." Mikey muttered, clutching uncomfortably at his left arm.

"No problem," Donnie replied with a small smile, turning back to face him. "Okay, everything's ready. Are you good for me to demonstrate?"

Mikey nodded silently, eyes fixed apprehensively on the Kraang tech scanner in Donnie's overly large hands.

"Right! It's actually pretty simple. All I have to do is run the scanner over whichever part of the body I need to and the image of what's underneath the flesh shows up on the screen there," Donnie explained patiently, nodding towards the computer monitor. Then he demonstrated, keeping an eye on Mikey and watching for any signs of panic.

"You do know that we'd never do anything to deliberately hurt you, right?" Donnie asked, leaving the 'as long as we're not somehow actually wrong about you and you don't try to betray us' thought unsaid.

Mikey nodded again, only shifting his eyes from the scanner briefly enough to see what was showing on the nearby screen. Donnie noticed and slowly moved closer to the computer monitor to make it easier for Mikey to watch both.

"You're safe now and we won't let them get a hold of you again."

"They'll _never_ get the chance, Donnie," Mikey swore softly, viciously. "I'd be better off dead than letting them do _that_ to me again!"

Donnie looked up into Mikey's eyes in shock at the conviction in his words, wondering, not for the first time, just what exactly had happened. "Don't think like that!" he exclaimed loudly in alarm. "How would your family feel if they heard you say something like that?"

"They really wouldn't care," Mikey laughed bitterly, still staring at the scanner.

Donnie's jaw dropped, the impact of the other turtle's words and tone overwhelming him once more. "Is this because they never _found_ you?" he asked in disbelief. "How _could_ they have found you? You're _in_ another _dimension_ , Mike,"

Mikey shook his head adamantly. "There's ways," he replied cryptically. He turned on his feet and started for the door, calling over his shell, "Hey, I'm still really wiped, dude, so I'm going back to bed."

"What about the scan?" Donnie asked numbly, still astounded over the wild turn of the conversation.

Sighing reluctantly and realising Donnie wouldn't truly let it go after all, Mikey headed back and stuck his left arm out. "Do it quickly, dude, but don't bring that thing any closer than you absolutely _have_ to, and definitely _don't_ trust it! Their tech is _evil!_ "

"There's no such thing as evil technology, Mike, only evil users," Donnie said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes over the ludicrous idea.

Mikey smiled grimly as he tried to control his breathing, eyes still firmly fixed on the terrifying device in the genius' hands. "Explain that to me again when the machines take over in twenty twenty-nine."

"Sounds to me as though you've been watching _way_ too many B-grade SciFis," Donnie said dryly as he carefully scanned Mikey's arm, keeping an eye on the image on the screen as he went.

"Never seen 'Terminator', Don?"

Shaking his head, Donnie admitted, "I've never even heard of it. Though there is a B-grade movie called 'Rise of the Terminator Droids' that our Mikey has always enjoyed for some odd reason. He has it on video somewhere, but be warned, it's _really_ bad." Then he stepped away, placing the scanner on the nearby bench away from the recently tortured turtle. "There, all done and it was painless, right?"

Mikey immediately pulled his arm back against his body, taking several quick steps away. "So, can I _go_ now?"

"Just a minute," Donnie muttered, turning to pour over the images recorded on his computer. "Did you know much about the break itself?"

Mikey shook his head. "No, they didn't really talk to me much, only when they were trying to tell me what to do," he reluctantly admitted. 'Or when they were explaining how they were going to punish me _if_ they even bothered explaining,' he added to himself bitterly, remembering the times he was helplessly strapped down or chained within his cell. Except as an extra way to torture him, they'd rarely bothered to say much else, knowing a lack of knowledge usually made things that much worse.

Donnie nodded and pointed to several places on the scan of the bone. "It was pretty bad, Mike. Multiple breaks and fractures all along it. In fact, it looks as though it was almost completely shattered. You're very lucky you didn't lose it. How exactly did you break it so badly anyway?"

Mikey blinked in shock. He'd never realised just how bad it was, but then again, he'd spent a lot of that time in and out of consciousness when it happened. "Fell from pretty high up, dude."

"You didn't try turning in mid-air to land on your feet?"

"Couldn't. Someone was gripping my ankle. It was impossible to turn and they landed on top of me," he shrugged. "I don't even remember hitting the ground."

Donnie shook his head in wonder. "It's healed very well, but I must admit I'm surprised they actually bothered to treat it. We know full well just how merciless they truly are, not to mention how much they enjoy causing others pain and misery."

Mikey fell down into the nearby chair as he gawped up at Donnie. "Trust me, dude, their 'treatment' wasn't what I call merciful, but they made it clear early on that they wanted me alive, no matter what it took." He hesitated again, then asked, "Have... were you guys their prisoners before, too?"

"No," Donnie shook his head, pulling up another chair and sitting nearby to face Mikey. "Well, only very briefly and they were far too busy to try anything, so it doesn't really count; not in the way you mean anyway. However, several friends of ours have been and we know from their first-hand accounts just how cruel the Kraang can truly be."

Mikey's eyes widened at the news and he pulled out the remains of one nunchaku, clutching tightly at the handle with both hands to draw comfort from that small piece of home. "Who? What happened?" he whispered, dreading to know, yet also somehow needing to.

"April and her father are just two I can mention," Donnie offered. "They recently had a hold of April briefly and wanted a sample of her DNA. Only instead of doing it the quick and easy way by taking a strand of hair or blood sample, they were prepared to extract it by drilling into her head, simply because it was 'far more entertaining'."

"D... did they...?" Mikey asked in horror, remembering all the terrifying instruments above him whenever he'd been strapped down.

"No," Donnie quickly reassured. "Raph was able to come to her rescue before anything could actually happen. Although, it's not entirely certain which of the two helped the other more. April really is so _amazing_ ," he sighed with a wistful, dreamy smile. Moments later, catching Mikey's stare, he remembered what he was talking about, straightened self-consciously and continued speaking.

"Her father, though, he's a different story. They had him for months and we still have no idea of the full extent of what they did to him. He, like someone else we know, came out of his ordeal with severe PTSD. After he was rescued, he barely even let April out of his sight for a good month and a half."

Mikey, who had dropped his gaze when Donnie continued speaking, suddenly perked up when he realised what the other turtle wasn't saying. "You guys know April's father?"

"Of course. Why are you so surprised?"

Mikey shook his head emphatically. "We never met the dude in our world and April never even talks about him. I get the feeling he's dead or something."

"Maybe she just doesn't think he could handle meeting your family?" Donnie suggested.

"Nuh. We've met other members of Ape's family before, and Casey's, and they were fine with us. She just doesn't talk about him. Kinda clams up, actually."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah... Hey, do you think... maybe I could meet him? Talk to him?" Mikey asked hopefully. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to actually bring himself to open up, but being around someone else who really _knew,_ he figured that could only help. "I mean, it's not like he'd really have anyone else to talk to either, right?" he suddenly added, desperation in his voice as he saw Donnie's expression fall.

"You're right, Mr. O'Neil would be a great choice, made even better by the fact he's a psychologist by profession." Donnie began nervously.

"But?" Mikey prompted moments later when Donnie fell silent.

Donnie sighed and rubbed wearily at his face. "However, talking to him is quite impossible..."

"He doesn't like you guys?"

"Yes! _No_! I mean, it's not that. A couple of months ago he met with an accident." Donnie winced painfully at the memory and all the misery the accident had caused. An accident they themselves had caused.

"Did he die?" Mikey asked softly upon seeing Donnie's expression.

"No. Though almost as bad..." Donnie muttered guiltily. "He... he came into contact with mutagen and mutated into a bat..."

Mikey blinked; he remembered seeing someone like that dragged into the prison while he was there. "A giant bat with ginger hair?" At Donnie's nod, he exclaimed, "I saw him! He was... there too..." He trailed off as he realised what he was getting excited about.

"Yes... Do you know how long he was there?"

Mikey shrugged as he thought back. "Not really too sure, dude. Maybe a few weeks? It was before they took the cast off anyway."

Donnie nodded. "Anyway, the problem is that the mutation messed with his mind. He seems to recognise April and ourselves still, but... he can't communicate and his bat instincts completely control him. So you see, talking to him right now is quite impossible for anyone.

"I've been working on finding a cure for his condition, a retro-mutagen, but... with our brother now missing, that's taken a back seat," Donnie explained, looking guiltily towards the ground. "We thought Mr. O'Neil was safe until two nights back but we didn't even realise he was missing too."

Donnie sighed again and shook his head. "Anyway, it's late and we have training early. I'll finish looking over your test results tomorrow afternoon and talk to you about things more then." Donnie turned and began turning off the equipment that didn't need to stay on.

"Okay." Mikey stood, putting the remains of his weapon away. "I guess I'll see you at training then."

"You're joining us?" Donnie asked in surprise. "I mean, of _course_ you are, but so _soon_?"

"Yeah," Mikey replied with more determination in his voice than he would have thought possible when it came to training.

"I thought it'd at least be a couple of days before you did."

Mikey chuckled, "Honestly, while I do wish I could just sleep in, cause _seriously_ , you guys train at the crack of dawn..."

"Seven thirty is _not_ the crack of dawn."

"May as well be," Mikey smiled, noticing, not for the first time, how easy it was to get a rise out of this Donnie. He filed that knowledge away for future use. "But yeah... I'd... I really want to get some kind of normalcy back in my life. I _need_ this right now, dude."

"That's understandable," Donnie replied softly.

Mikey laughed again, more confidently this time, "And back home, somehow my bros and Master Splinter just heard me and fell over in shock."

-:-

Michelangelo lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The longer he laid there, the greater his uneasy feeling grew.

Rubbing wearily at his sore eyes, Mikey sat up, gazing around and trying to figure out just what exactly was bugging him.

It didn't take long before his eyes fell on the shadowy cardboard cutout of that human by the door; it was still facing the wall, but in the dim light cast by the nearby lamp it still appeared as if it were watching him. Squeezing his eyes tightly closed, Mikey quickly reminded himself how he turned it around only hours before. However, when he opened his eyes again minutes later and feeling only slightly better, he knew that wasn't really what was getting to him.

Mikey licked his lips nervously, suddenly hyperaware of the thirst he felt as his eyes lit on the closed bedroom door. Donnie's earlier words slipped unbidden into his mind, " _you seemed more anxious once the door closed"_. Mikey immediately shook his head in emphatic denial. That may have been a _small_ part of whatever his problem was and he knew he would have to learn to deal with this new hang up sooner or later, but instinctively he knew that still wasn't it.

No matter how hard he tried, how hard he thought about it, he just couldn't put his finger on whatever was truly bothering him.

"Everything should be great! I'm _free_ now!" Mikey reminded himself in a small whisper. Then he sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his head on them in the gloom. "Ah, who am I kidding... I just want to go home... but I'll probably never even _see_ home again...

"After all... they're not even looking for me..." he finished miserably.

-:-

* * *

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 7

Date: 21th Sept

"Ah, who am I kidding? I just want to go home but I'll probably never even see it again..." Mikey muttered miserably, shifting to bury his face in his knees. "They're not even looking for me..." he trailed off, unwilling to vocalise the full truth even to himself because that would then make it all too real.

He had no idea how long he sat in the dark for but eventually realising he'd have no chance of sleeping again if he didn't at least get something to drink, Mikey made himself push away the warm, patchy quilt cover before sliding off the bed and padding slowly to the door. As he approached, his heart began pounding wildly within his chest and a sudden trepidation took hold. He froze with his hand on the handle, unable to bring himself to turn it. Though in his head he knew he was safe now, his heart didn't truly believe it and kept trying to tell him _anything_ could be on the other side; or worse, that he'd open the door to discover himself waking up, having merely dreamt of his long-awaited rescue.

His instincts screamed incessantly at him to scurry back to the warmth and safety of the bed and bury himself under the covers to hide from the world. Instead though, knowing he never used to be like this and hating the feeling now, he forced his other hand to the handle and made himself turn it. Moments later, he stood on the other side, leaning against the door and panting heavily.

When his breathing finally began to calm, Mikey found his hands snaking their way up to his face, rubbing wearily at his eyes in disbelief. "I'm so messed up," he muttered despondently. "I wasn't this bad in _there_ , so how the shell did this happen?" he whimpered. In his heart though, he knew. It had been slowly building up ever since that first awful day he found himself in captivity, with every torment, torture and humiliating moment he'd experienced through those long months. While there, it had been easy enough to put on a brave face and deny them the opportunity to let them see just how badly they were getting to him, but after everything, after so _damned_ long, the dam walls had begun cracking.

And then there was that last week or so that felt more like a lifetime...

Mikey knew he'd finally lost all control at pretence by then, but at that point, it was impossible for him to voice his terror, impossible to lash out, and they'd known. They'd known it and taken great delight in rubbing it in at every moment that he no longer had any sort of control, even going so far as to point out that it would be this way for the rest of his _long_ life, forcibly using his own voice to do it, and the worst thing was that there'd been absolutely nothing he could do to stop them.

The cracks in his mental walls had not only widened during that week, but they had crumbled as over and over he'd mentally screamed for help from brothers and a father that weren't coming.

That were _never_ coming.

And now that he no longer _needed_ to slip on and hide behind an emotional mask to avoid giving his tormentors satisfaction, there was no containing the damage wrought.

Sure, things weren't so bad when there was someone else around, but when he was alone, like right now... everything began to pour out.

With a barely suppressed whimper, Mikey stared longingly towards the nearby bedrooms, wishing with everything he had that it was _his_ brothers behind those alien doors. He needed Donnie so badly right then, but to his dismay, that wasn't _his_ Donnie. His Donnie was always so gentle and understanding, so rarely raising his voice in anger that it always took his family and friends by surprise when he actually did. This Donnie, from what little he'd seen so far, while he still had the innate kindness his own Donnie had, was irritable and prone to sudden bursts of anger, but worst of all... he didn't have that comforting camaraderie Mikey's true brother exuded. This Donnie... this Donnie wasn't his best friend, the person he was closest to in all the multiverse; the one he could talk to about anything and would do anything for, even if he would normally give him an obligatory song and dance about being asked to do it.

Leo was usually his second go to. Leo who looked out for everyone, even when they didn't want it or realise they needed it. Leo, who chased away the bad dreams with an unrivalled, heroic determination. Leo, who made you believe in yourself, even when no one else would or could, even when that someone was yourself... This world's Leo though, to Mikey, he felt like a lost kid trying to find his way in a suddenly new and dark world. He understood that that probably had a lot to do with the fact that their own brother was missing, but still... he simply didn't seem to have that warm, confidence inspiring quality his own Leonardo had through and through.

 _Shell_ , right now, he would happily take Raph if he could. Raph was strong and reliable in a fight, always having the backs of his brothers and Mikey was always happy to be teamed with him, even if he always teased Raph mercilessly in the process. Raphael could be comforting in his own strange and rough, silent way, but he wasn't really someone Mikey liked to lean on emotionally. His hotheaded brother wasn't really great with words where feelings were concerned, though there were certainly times where that actually felt the most welcome, and in fact needed, option.

Mikey probably always enjoyed _playing_ with Raph more than either of his other brothers, but not having deep, meaningful conversations with, or even simply hanging with. They had far too much of a teasing and taunting relationship between them for that. Raph always put up an impatient front, especially with him, yet Mikey knew it wasn't really like that between them, despite what anyone else observing them thought.

The Raphael that lived here though? Mikey sighed. Honestly, he wasn't really too sure what to make of him yet. This Raph was still definitely the type that liked to challenge, to buck the system and he didn't seem the sympathetic or approachable type, just like his own brother, but then again... even in the short time since Mikey met them, Raph had surprised him.

Mikey rubbed tiredly at his left eye. Despite the earlier offer from Splinter and then later Donnie reaching out to him in the lab, Mikey couldn't bring himself to go to either one. He shook his head in annoyance at his stupid neediness and pushed off the door, heading for the kitchen as he originally intended.

Walking through the dimly lit, creepily silent lair, Mikey felt his edginess rising and without realising, sidetracked to turn on the television as he passed, immediately feeling better with the muted sounds of people talking.

Mikey continued to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for a cup or glass, trying to take note of where everything was for next time. Finally, finding what he was looking for, he filled the cup with water from the tap, quickly draining it before refilling and drinking deeply again.

His thirst finally slaked, Mikey headed back to bed, only to stop at the edge of the pit on the way and stare down at the television as if mesmerised. For a moment, he tried to make himself return to bed but realistically, he knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep in that room anyway, so what was the point in returning?

Unconsciously stepping down into the pit, Mikey wandered closer to the TV as if in a dream. He _missed_ television. He missed the sight and sound, the hours of entertainment, the window to the world above him. He missed how he could lose himself in whatever cartoon or movie he watched, or game he played. Right at that second, Mikey realised just how much he needed to immerse himself in something outside of himself and that television would be the perfect way to do that.

The program that was on didn't look very interesting, but... Mikey spotted some nearby stacked videotapes and crouched down to look at the labels. 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five' and...

Mikey smiled. That sounded exactly like his type of quality television. Deftly, he reached over and plucked a tape from the stack before injecting it into the VCR and hitting play.

Then he settled into the nearby beanbag, wriggling for maximum comfort, and eagerly began watching as the opening credits rolled.

-:-

With an ache in his heart, Leonardo stepped out of his room. He quietly closed the door behind him and stared forlornly at the door down the hall like he had every morning and night for just over a month now. There was another currently sleeping in his little brother's bed, Leo remembered, and though he didn't begrudge him for it, after all, he was only too glad to be able to help someone who so badly needed it, he bitterly wished it could have been his own little brother they brought home three nights ago.

After going about his early morning business, Leo headed for the kitchen for breakfast, but when he came to the end of the hallway, he stopped, hearing familiar music from the pit. Moving closer, Leo started when the tape suddenly stopped and automatically rewound. Silently, he stepped down into the pit, avoiding the sleeping turtle in the beanbag as he went to switch the television off. Stepping back from the telly, Leo turned around and jumped, seeing sky blue eyes staring intently at him from behind a frayed and dirty orange mask.

"Geez! I thought you were asleep, Mike!" Leo swore, trying to calm his pounding heart.

"I was, dude! At least until someone stomped down here like a herd of elephants," Mikey deadpanned with a drawn out yawn.

"I do not stomp like a herd of ele..." Leo retorted before trailing off as he noticed the corners of Mikey's mouth lift slightly in amusement.

"Sure, you don't, Leo," Mikey chuckled. "Seriously though, it was the tape stopping that woke me." He shrugged, giving Leo the impression that maybe he either hadn't actually slept at all or had only just finally fallen asleep.

"You must be a pretty light sleeper then," Leo said, giving their guest the benefit of the doubt. "Wish I could say the same about any of _my_ brothers."

And there it was, that ever so slight wince as he inadvertently reminded Michelangelo he wasn't where he belonged.

Mikey shrugged again and struggled to get up from the beanbag. "Never used to be a light sleeper. With Raph's chainsaw snoring, I'd never get _any_ sleep if I was. Heh! Actually, my Leo is _forever_ lecturing all of us about our sleeping habits," he added with a chuckle of amusement that didn't quite reach his eyes. "So uh, how the shell do you get _out_ of this thing anyway?"

Leo laughed and thrust out a hand, helping the other turtle from the beanbag. "I dunno, you just get used to it, I guess. Haven't you ever sat in a beanbag before?"

Shaking his head, Mikey grumbled. "Great... If it wasn't so comfy, I'd swear to never sit in the evil thing again!"

"Join me for breakfast?" Leo offered, still smiling. "We have training in a little over an hour."

For a second, the expression on Mikey's face seemed to close off, but when his stomach rumbled a moment later, he nodded reluctantly. "You're not cooking, are you?" he asked warily as if trying to cover whatever was bothering him.

Leonardo spluttered for a moment, then began walking to the kitchen as Mikey followed. "Contrary to what April and the others said last night, I _can_ cook! As long as it's simple things like toast and ramen."

"Uh huh. My Leo has an unhealthy relationship with toasters. Like the kind that leads to screaming, violent divorces in the human world, or crimes of passion."

"One time!" Leonardo burst out indignantly, remembering the incident a few months prior. He felt his shame creeping up his face for all to see and forced himself to breathe. Then calm again, he offered, "There's still some pancake mix left from last night, or there's toast and cereal." He frowned slightly at the briefly disturbed look crossing Mikey's face at the mere mention of pancakes.

"Toast sounds good! Need me to make it?" Mikey teased, obviously pretending nothing was wrong. Leo frowned again, hoping this wasn't going to prove to be a habit of the other turtle's like it was with his own missing brother.

"I can handle making some toast! Really!" Leo insisted too quickly, trying to cover up his suspicions.

Mikey laughed as he sat down at the table, watching Leo pull a loaf of bread from the freezer.

The blue banded turtle tossed two slices into the old toaster, turning up the knob to full since the bread was frozen, before going to the fridge for butter and jams. "So, I saw you were watching 'Space Heroes'. Are you a Spacenik too?"

"What's a spacenik?" Mikey asked, staring at him with curious, wide eyes.

"That's what they call fans of 'Space Heroes'," Leo replied, realising that answered his question.

"Oh! So, like a Trekkie, then?" Mikey realised with a jolt. He shook his head. "Nuh. I've never seen or heard of it before last night. I just watched it 'cause it was there. It looks like a really bad 'Star Trek' knock off to me." Mikey grinned happily, remembering vividly the shoddy animation, plot lines and over the top characters with terrible morals.

Leo shot Mikey a hurt look. "What do you mean, 'really bad'? 'Space Heroes' is a classic!" he insisted loudly. "How do you not like it?"

"Heh! I never said I didn't like it, dude. It's like classic B-grade sci-fi, and I _love_ that stuff. They're hilarious!" Mikey explained, his bright grin growing wider. "They totally need to MST3K that show. It'd be a hoot!"

"It is not B-grade sci-fi!" Leo protested indignantly.

"You're so right, Leo. It's closer to Z-grade," Raph immediately mocked as he entered the kitchen. Then he sniffed suspiciously. "Uh... what's burning? Leo, are you trying to cook again?"

Leo's eyes went wide. "The toast!" He whirled about, flipping the switch on the toaster and ejecting the blackened slices of bread from the appliance. Catching them before they hit the floor, Leo stared down at them in dismay before reluctantly walking to the bin and dropping them in.

Mikey stared wide-eyed, feeling his stomach churn in horror. He hadn't even _smelt_ it! "What are you doing, dude?" he cried, trying to cover up his fear. "You can't just waste food like that!"

"It was burnt, Mike," Leo replied flatly. "I'll just toast more."

"You coulda just scraped off the burnt bits!" Mikey protested faintly, a lifetime of struggling for food and supplies screaming at him just how wrong simply tossing it was. He couldn't believe these guys didn't remember how hard things could be prior to befriending humans.

Raph pulled a disgusted face. "It's fine. We'll just give Murakami-san money to get us more on grocery day," he shrugged. Then he turned to Leo, smirking. "And now we're _all_ reminded of just _one_ reason Leo's not supposed to cook!"

"Funny, Raph," Leo scowled in displeasure. "You aren't much better yourself."

"None of us are," Donnie spoke up tiredly as he walked into the room yawning. He glanced over to Mikey in concern. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Fine," Mikey muttered, avoiding Donnie's eyes as he stood and headed for the fridge.

"He didn't," Leo immediately corrected. "He sat in front of the TV all night instead."

"Hey, you got enough eggs in here," Mikey interrupted as if Leo never ratted him out. "How about I make scrambled eggs for you guys?" he offered, pawing through the rest of the fridge and pulling out a few ingredients.

Leo quickly exchanged worried looks with his brothers. They'd had fried eggs plenty of times before, but never scrambled. "Uh, if you're sure you're up to it, Mike."

Mikey smiled broadly. "I love cooking almost as much as I love eating!" he exclaimed. "Shell yeah I'm up to it!"

-:-

Soon Mikey had made enough scrambled eggs with cheese, mushrooms and olives folded in to feed the entire household, and he watched pleased as everyone, including Splinter, ate with gusto, obviously pleasantly surprised by the dish he'd made. It had been so long since he'd felt useful, needed even, and the moment wasn't lost on Mikey as he watched while picking at his own food.

"You are not eating," Splinter observed after a while, concern filling his furry features. "Are you not hungry, Michelangelo?"

"Huh? Oh... not as much as I thought I was," Mikey reluctantly admitted with a smile. "But it's so much fun watching you guys."

"We are amusing you somehow?"

Mikey shook his head wildly. "Nope! I just like watching others eat my cooking. I missed this."

"I see," Splinter said, flicking his ears lightly. He noticed his sons exchanging wary glances. "If you enjoy cooking so much, you are more than welcome to continue to do so; _please,_ " he emphasised, earning a faint laugh.

"However, you should eat before your own breakfast becomes cold."

Mikey nodded and tried to dig in, but he just couldn't find the enthusiasm. From their expressions, everyone else was obviously enjoying their food, but he... Just like with the pancakes last night, it simply didn't taste right. After finishing a little less than half his plate, Mikey couldn't face eating any more and pushed it away.

"Michelangelo?"

"It's been a while since I ate so much in one sitting," Mikey quickly offered by way of explanation, unable to bring himself to admit the truth. They all had problems of their own and the last thing he wanted was to add to them. "Do you have any cling wrap?" he asked, planning to put the remains in the fridge for later.

"We do. In the bottom drawer on the left," Splinter replied, motioning towards it.

"Or, unless you want it later," Raph began, almost shyly, "I'll finish it."

Mikey glanced at Raph in surprise. Normally it should have been himself devouring everything in sight and he wasn't used to a Raph that did. Shell, the last time his own Raph had tried, it was in competition with Mikey just to spite him, and he'd had made himself sick after. Mikey nodded and slid the plate across the table to the green-eyed version of his hotheaded brother and rubbed lightly at his eye. "Sure, knock yourself out, bro."

Once Raph finished eating, he suddenly spoke up, "Hey, we gotta keep him," he exclaimed, motioning towards a shocked Mikey thoughtlessly. "His cooking's freaking awesome!"

Leo and Donnie looked aghast.

"What... what about _our_ Mikey?" Donnie spluttered, his sudden anger making him almost incoherent.

"We're still going to find him! We can live with two of them!" Raph retorted hotly, then froze, horror taking over his features as he realised what he'd just said. "Wait! _What_ am I _saying?_ I sound insane!"

"Completely certifiable."

-:-

Soon after breakfast ended and was cleaned up, the family of mutants and Mikey headed for the dojo. Everyone but Mikey automatically fell into familiar positions while he himself stood awkwardly nearby, looking lost as he wondered what was expected of him. He knew every teacher expected different things, and then there was the fact that he didn't really have a place in this class yet.

Splinter canted his head slightly at Michelangelo, taking in his uncertain appearance. Finally, he gave a nod and turned to his oldest. "Leonardo, please help Michelangelo out with some spare pads and wrappings."

Mikey glanced down at himself in something akin to embarrassment. All he had left was his mask and belt, and even those were in terrible shape, roughly knotted together in places they had previously torn to hold them together.

Leonardo stood and bowed quickly, before going to Mikey and taking him by the right arm. "Come on, Mike, you can use some of my spare gear," he murmured kindly.

Swallowing, Mikey nodded wordlessly and allowed Leo to lead him to his room. He waited, fidgeting in the doorway as Leo dug about for spare knee and elbow pads, and clean wrappings.

"Master Splinter has some spare cloth to make new masks from and we can make you a new belt later. I don't think ours would fit you." Leo looked critically at the barely held together remnants of Mikey's shredded belt. "How can you stand having the belt tails hang like that, anyway? Isn't it dangerous?"

"I don't need a new belt or mask," he protested faintly, knowing full well he did. "Mine are still fine!"

"One good tug in a fight or a sparring match and those will come apart faster than you can blink," Leo pointed out bluntly.

Mikey really didn't want to admit it, but he _knew_ Leo was speaking the truth, especially about his belt. He blinked back the tears that threatened, telling himself off silently for being so pathetic about his stupid belt. However, for so long, that stupid belt, along with his mask and the remains of his 'chucks, were all he had left tying him to _home_.

"If you're so dead set on keeping on your mask," Leo continued, suppressing a sigh at the look on Mikey's face, "then Master Splinter or Donnie can probably sew it back together properly, but a good strong belt is far too important to take a risk on," he offered as he handed over the wrappings and went to help him with them.

"I can sew it myself!" Mikey replied, shorter than he liked. "I'm not an invalid!" As he spoke, he pulled away from Leo to wrap the bandages around his own feet and ankles without help, only feeling slightly bad as he saw the faintly hurt look cross Leo's young looking face.

Leo nodded contritely. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to suggest you were. It's just that Master Splinter and Donnie are the only ones who're actually good at sewing, so I thought maybe, it would be the same in your world. Heck, while Raph does a pretty secure job since he always needs to repair the punching bags after half destroying them, it's always really rough looking."

Mikey shook his head. He knew that Leo hadn't meant it that way and wasn't sure exactly why he'd snapped. All he knew was that he hated feeling so needy and defensive over a couple of stupid scraps of cloth. He reached out, taking the pads Leo offered. "Do you..." he swallowed, feeling ungrateful, "have any pads smaller than these? They're way too huge, dude. They'll get in the way."

Leo gazed at him uncertainly before answering. "No. This style is all we've ever had."

Mikey nodded and put them on; he'd suspected as much. He'd just make his own when the opportunity arose. In the meantime, he'd just have to get used to these.

"Aren't you going to wrap your knees and elbows first?"

Mikey shot Leo a puzzled look, noticing for the first time how the other turtle had extra wrappings underneath his pads, and in other places, like his wrists and fingers. It looked way too restrictive, the way a sprained ankle or wrist did. "Nuh, pass."

"The extra support comes in handy," Leo began and it was all Mikey could do not to snap again. He really didn't need to be lectured right now.

"Leo," he began gently, interrupting the younger turtle, "I'm fine, promise. Let's go." He turned sharply on his heels and headed back for the dojo where the other three waited patiently for them.

'Yep, definitely gotta make my own pads,' Mikey thought as he bowed in at the edge of the mats. He felt uncomfortably aware of the extreme bulkiness of his borrowed gear, especially after so long without wearing anything.

Splinter nodded, acknowledging their presence as his gaze roved over Mikey with what Mikey thought to be faint disapproval.

"Please join us. Take a place beside Donatello," Splinter spoke as Leonardo automatically went and knelt beside Raphael at the start of the line.

Mikey nodded and quickly rushed over, "Yes, Sensei!"

The lesson started with everyone bowing in, followed by a few minutes of breathing exercises. Mikey blinked, surprised to find that it wasn't full on meditation like it would have been back home, however, he didn't complain. Despite how much meditation had helped him to cope not so long ago, he'd always disliked it, finding it far too boring and hard to focus on.

Soon after, they moved on to stretching and warming up with light kata. The first eleven patterns Mikey knew, and though he was out of practice at performing them properly, due to a lack of space in which to move around in during his captivity, he quickly regained his confidence with the familiar moves. However, soon after, the family began practising kata that Mikey was either unfamiliar with, or, in some cases, mostly knew but deviated from what he expected in small ways. This eventually prompted Splinter to ask Leonardo to step off to the side with him, while Splinter continued to put the other two through their paces while watching him from the corner of his eye.

Through all this, intense frustration seethed within Mikey. This stuff was child's play, _should_ have been child's play! However, he didn't know these patterns while everyone else did and it rankled him, making him feel completely inadequate.

"It's okay, Mike," Leo spoke softly, noticing Mikey's anxiety. "We're from different realities, so there's bound to be differences in our styles. Especially since we have different teachers."

Mikey nodded curtly; he knew that. That didn't however, change how he felt though, especially given that after only an hour of training he was beginning to tire.

Leo paused thoughtfully. "Why don't we take a small break from this one and you can show me one of your kata instead?" he suggested after a moment.

Mikey shot Leo a grateful look. "Will Master Splinter be okay with that though?" he asked doubtfully.

"Probably not if we linger too long, but I'm sure he'll be fine with it for a short while," Leo chuckled. "Besides, I know he's just as curious about what you know as I am."

Mikey smiled and launched off into one of his favourite kata, taking it slower than normal due to being so out of practice. Within moments, he was lost in the flow and grace of the movements.

Leo's eyes widened and he broke into a genuine smile. "That's beautiful," he breathed. "Will you teach that to me later?"

Grinning and feeling a lot better about himself, Mikey started over. "Sure, bro. Just say when."

-:-

A short time later, Splinter called for a five-minute water break, then sent a clearly exhausted Mikey to sit on the sidelines, watching while his sons sparred for the next hour.

Grateful for the chance to rest, Mikey curiously watched the other three take turns sparring, first one on one and then two on one, taking in exactly what each was capable of.

All were extremely skilled, he noticed, but the balance between the brothers seemed uneven. Raph acted way cockier than he should, almost as if used to always winning, and Leo, while more highly skilled than his cocky brother, seemed unable to counter Raph's sheer physical strength; usually, at least. Mikey's smile broadened as he finally watched Leo thoroughly trounce Raph during their last match-up. Donnie though... Mikey winced sympathetically. While he too was obviously skilled, he appeared to have little to no confidence when going up against either brother.

Mikey knew that Donnie's mind was his true strength, just as it was back home, but that didn't mean he shouldn't be a skilled ninja. Far from it, in fact. His mind should have only enhanced his physical prowess, giving him ways to stand against his stronger and more skilled brothers, putting them on fairly even footing, especially given the length advantage of his weapon and the speed with which he wielded it.

The problem was, as far as Mikey could tell, that it seemed as though he'd actually given up before he'd even started.

Mikey's mouth curved down sadly. That probably explained a lot of the irritable nature of this Donnie. That, or vice versa. Mikey shook his head, suddenly aching to join in for a round, yet knowing he wasn't ready yet.

"Yame!" Splinter finally commanded, bringing the sparring session to a halt. Mikey watched as the other three turtles bowed respectfully to one another and then Splinter, before taking off for another much-needed water break. Splinter turned to face him.

"Are you feeling up to joining in again?" Splinter asked in concern as he stopped in front of him.

Mikey nodded eagerly, jumping to his feet. "Yeah, Grandpa Sensei! I'm getting really _bored_ just sitting here watching," he admitted with a chuckle. "Who do I get to fight with first?"

Splinter gave him an exasperated, yet knowing look. "You will not be sparring, not for a number of days, probably a week or two at least, Michelangelo."

Mikey was unable to hide his hurt expression. Sure, he knew better than anyone he wasn't ready, but still, he was itching to try, at _least_ for one round.

"We will finish off with weapons practice," Splinter said with a nod, just as the other three returned to the dojo.

Splinter turned away and headed to his customary position at the front of the class as Mikey reluctantly walked after him, joining his other-dimensional brothers. The words, 'weapons practice' echoed ominously through his mind.

His weapons were broken. They had been since the day he found himself in that awful place _,_ but that hadn't stopped him from using them the other night, or months ago before he'd been recaptured for that matter. Still, an overwhelming feeling of sadness and helplessness at the state of his babies tore through his heart and soul and he swallowed. Audibly.

Beside him, Donatello heard and turned his head to Mikey in concern. Suddenly realising, he looked up at Splinter. "Shitsureishimasu, Master Splinter," he bowed. Then turning back to Mikey, he gently asked, "May I see your weapons for a moment, Mike?"

Mikey blinked as the words seeped in, not understanding the question at first. Then he nodded numbly, slowly handing over one-half of a broken and cracked nunchaku to the other turtle.

Donnie took it carefully, noting how reluctant Mikey was in letting go. "How did your nunchaku get in such a bad state?" he asked quietly.

Mikey shrugged helplessly. "Dunno. When I found myself in that... that place... they were just like that. Actually, they've gotten worse since but... the chains were missing and the places where they'd been repaired before... weren't anymore." He was hyper aware of four sets of eyes fixed on him, and he squirmed over the unwanted scrutiny.

"That's when I also found the rest of my gear was also broken or just... gone..."

"Including your belt and mask?" Leo asked softly.

Mikey nodded. Certain they were judging him for not looking after his only things better, he refused to meet anyone's eyes. "Anything metal or plastic was gone. My picks, shuko spikes, smoke pellets, my Shell-Cell... even my pads... The elastic was just... gone... like it disintegrated or something."

"But you still had the pads themselves?" Donnie asked. When Mikey nodded numbly again, Donnie continued. "What are your pads made of and where are they now?"

"Leather..." Mikey muttered. "Dunno. Anything that wasn't tied to me just... whenever they took me out for... whenever they took me out, anything left behind was gone when I.. when they put me back."

"Hmm..." Donnie mused thoughtfully. "So basically anything inorganic was removed from your person when they captured you?"

Mikey stared blankly at Donnie but eventually nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"Intriguing. Well, I really want to talk about this more at a better time," Donnie said, aware of Splinter's sharp gaze, "but either way, you can't continue using these, Mike."

It was as though Donatello's declaration slammed into him and Mikey's head shot up in panic. "What are you _saying_ , Don?"

"I'm saying your nunchaku are irreparable and too dangerous to keep using. They are only good for the bin now," Donnie explained bluntly, not seeming to notice or care how insensitive he sounded.

"No! _No way!_ " Mikey blurted loudly, the words escaping him as he snatched the piece of his nunchaku back from Donnie's hand. "I know better than _anyone_ the condition they're in but I can still use them and I _have_ been! All this time!" he spat hotly.

"Mikey..."

Mikey shook his head violently, taking a step back and clutching protectively at the ruined wood. "You _saw_ me use them the other night when we were waiting for Leo and Raph to come back," he pleaded to Donnie. "And I sure as shell got a few good hits on _them_ before following you guys through the portal!

"You can't take what's left of my 'chucks away from me," Mikey continued, his voice frantically rising with every word. "You can't make me and I won't let you!"

-:-

* * *

*Shitsureishimasu – Please excuse me.

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.


	8. Chapter 8

Warnings: Brief mention of torture. Bit of language.

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. But now that he's finally been rescued there's two problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OC's. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.

A/N: Thank you for all the comments, faves and follows on this story. It always puts a smile on my face when I see them. Sorry about the wait on this chapter (and everything else). Between life and working on Halloween story commitments, I just haven't been able to focus on this or anything else.

In case you missed it (I had previously mentioned it on a couple of chapters of 'Cursed') there is a TMNT Fanbook coming out soon for Halloween - 'The Darkest Nights'. The book is being organised by my friend Sampsonknight (you can find out the details on her profile on Deviant Art - there is also a link to the journal on my DA profile) and will feature plenty art and stories previously unseen by amazing people in our fandom! If you are planning on contributing to it (everyone is welcome) the deadline is coming up at the end of this month (September 2017). If you need a few more days, please make sure to contact Sampsonknight.

It must be said! The 'Darkest Nights' is going to be spectacular and very different from any of the previous TMNT fanbooks out there. The release date it becomes available to download is Halloween.

* * *

 **AOtGO – Aftermath**

Ch 8

Date: 21th Sept

"I'm saying your weapons are irreparable and too dangerous to keep using. They need to be thrown out," Donnie explained bluntly, not seeming to notice or care how insensitive he sounded.

"No! _No way!_ " Mikey blurted loudly, the words escaping him vehemently as he snatched the piece of his nunchaku back from Donnie's hand. "I know better than _anyone_ the condition they're in but I can still use them and I _have_ been! All this time!" he spat hotly.

"Mikey..."

Mikey shook his head furiously, taking a step back and clutching possessively at the ruined wood. "You _saw_ me use them the other night when we were waiting for Leo and Raph to come back. I did just fine with them then," he pleaded to Donnie. "And I sure as shell got a few good hits on _them_ before following you guys through the portal!

"You can't take what's left of my 'chucks away from me." Mikey's voice frantically rose with every word. "You can't make me and I _won't let you_!"

"Mike, you're being irrational," Leo began, falling immediately silent as Mikey swung on the spot to face him, fear and panic written across his entire body.

" _I'm not being fucking irrational!_ " he snapped furiously. He was and he knew it, but he just couldn't seem to stop. Or care. His 'chucks were all he had remaining; _shell_ they even wanted him to get rid of his belt and mask and replace them with new ones. Those he could at least understand, but his ' _chucks_... They just didn't get it. He _needed_ at least _one_ link left with home; to the father who proudly gave him these difficult to master weapons so long ago; the father he might never see again.

Not to mention the brothers he grew up training with...

"Michelangelo, I understand you have been through much of recent, however, please refrain from using such language in our home," Splinter spoke up firmly before Mikey could continue

Whirling about to look at Splinter, for a moment Mikey wondered what the shell he was talking about. Then he suddenly realised what he'd just said and calming slightly from the authoritative look and tone, nodded and mumbled, chagrined, "I'm sorry..."

"Mike, please understand, your nunchaku are simply too dangerous to continue using in any way, shape or form, for _both_ yourself _and_ us," Donnie explained, trying to take advantage of Mikey's distraction. As he spoke, he tried to tone down his irritation, though he wasn't entirely successful. "I understand that you had no choice but to use them while you were a prisoner of the Kraang and even out on the street the other night but now things are _different_. There are _other_ choices available to you now."

Mikey blanched visibly at the harsh reminder but didn't let it stop him from retorting, "I _know_ I can't use them as nunchaku anymore, Don but there's _nothing_ stopping me from using them in _other_ ways!" he explained desperately. He wasn't _stupid_! Donnie had _seen_ him use them like kali sticks when they defended themselves from the Purple Dragons a few nights back so he couldn't see why the other turtle had to make such a fuss. "I _need_ them... I've got nothing else..." he whispered, clasping the wooden handle protectively to his plastron, determined to fight over it if necessary.

" _Oh for the love of!_ Michelangelo _, one good hit_ with them and they'll shatter and probably hurt you in the process! Then we'll be forced to have to dig the splinters out of your flesh or ours! And _that's_ if we're lucky!" Donnie snapped angrily, throwing up his hands in disbelief. "They were fine to use in an emergency but now that it's possible, they _need_ to be disposed of and _replaced_!"

Mikey's heart continued pounding frantically as he shook his head in denial and backed away several more steps.

"I am afraid Donatello is correct, Michelangelo," Splinter suddenly spoke up, taking charge of the situation. "It is not simply about the missing chains but rather the wood itself. The handles themselves are too brittle from what they have been through and if Donatello says they are beyond repair, then you can be certain they are."

Unable to speak, Mikey stopped moving and stared up at Splinter, betrayed.

"Just use the damn spare set from the rack already!" Raph snapped in annoyance, wanting to get on with the lesson so he could have his free time sooner rather than later.

Mikey glanced briefly at Raph but returned pleading eyes to Splinter, "I don't mind using a spare set to practice with," he whispered plaintively, "but _please_ don't take these away from me. My father gave them to me and they're all I've got left..."

Splinter suppressed a sigh and somehow managed to avoid running a hand across his face in frustration. "We will not take them from you, Michelangelo, nor will we force you to discard them. However," he put up a hand, silencing Donatello's protest, "you may not use them, nor may you carry them around outside of the lair once you are ready to go out."

Mikey's eyes widened with hope and relief upon hearing Splinter's decree and he finally began to relax.

Splinter turned to Leonardo, "Get the spare nunchaku set from the rack for Michelangelo please."

"Hai, Sensei!" Leo gave a quick bow before rushing to do as asked.

"Er... About that, Master Splinter," Donnie spoke up hesitantly, embarrassment seeping into his voice. "We don't currently _have_ a spare set of nunchaku."

Splinter's eyebrows raised, questioning as he regarded Donatello. "Explain."

"Mikey was using them the night he disappeared. His main set was damaged in battle a couple of days prior and I hadn't gotten around to fixing them yet. Then when he... vanished... well, other things were just more important," Donatello explained, reddening.

"I see," Splinter mused, running a hand slowly down his goatee. He turned to Michelangelo, regarding him apologetically a moment before continuing, "Perhaps it would be best if you sit out weapons practice until Donatello is able to effect repairs or construct you a new set."

Far calmer now that the perceived threat was gone, Mikey straightened, disappointed. He _needed_ this. He _needed_ to have some normalcy back in his life and in this strange world with this strange version of his family, training was the only key to achieving that. He turned and stared at the weapon's rack thoughtfully, unwilling to sit out again unless he absolutely had to. Mikey turned back to Splinter, "I'll... I'll just use a different weapon for practice then if that's okay?"

Without waiting for a response in fear of being denied, Mikey tucked his own weapons back into the damaged holsters of his belt and walked immediately to the rack. He perused the available selection while one set of contemplative eyes and three sets of wary eyes watched carefully. He discovered a nice collection of obviously well cared for but little-used weapons, including spare duplicates of the ones the other three turtles used; the same weapons his own brothers wielded, and Mikey's heart ached at the thought as his gaze lingered on katana, bo and sai.

Feeling as though it were a way to feel closer to them despite the impossible distance, Mikey decided to use one of the more familiar weapons. He instantly dismissed the bo due to it being too wooden and inflexible; he'd learnt long ago that it only cramped his style, though he was certainly more than capable in a pinch. That left the katana and sai. For a moment, Mikey see-sawed between them. Then, remembering back to his Nexus rematch and how Leo's faith had instilled within him the confidence and drive to be victorious at a time when Leo's faith in his own abilities had recently been shattered, Mikey reached out decisively for a single katana.

Whirling the sword around once, twice, three times in his left hand to test the weight and balance, Mikey gave a nod and turned to face the concerned, and in some cases, almost terrified gazes of the family who had saved him.

"What?" Mikey asked, taken aback by their reactions. "I do better with one than two and since I'm gonna be way rusty anyway, it's better if I just stick with one for now."

Raph gave Mikey an odd look, "Just... be careful where you wave that thing, okay?"

Mikey was sure he'd heard a hint of nervousness in the hothead's voice, though his expression, while still wary, belied any such admission. "Huh?" Mikey looked to the katana in confusion and back to Raph.

"It would probably be best if you got used to using a katana during solo practice, _away_ from anyone else," Leo pointed out, way too calm to be natural.

Mikey felt his temper flare anew but bit back on it, hating how easily he came to losing it lately. "My 'chucks are broken and you guys won't let me use them so what else am I _supposed_ to use?" he asked more sharply than he intended, noting how three pairs of eyes kept an overly careful watch of the sharp blade in his hand.

"Something without the long, shiny and pointy blade?" Raph suggested in a caustic tone.

Mikey closed his eyes and took a deep breath, swallowing back his automatic response. He was fully aware that if he didn't keep a hold of himself, Splinter might bench him again; especially after his freak out only minutes before. "Geez, dude, you act like I've never even seen a katana before, let alone _used_ one! Well, this is _my_ choice, I get to _have_ those again now by the way, and I'm using this until Don can help me out with new 'chucks!"

Everyone remained silent as Mikey regulated his breathing once more. As soon as he felt calmer again, he turned anxious eyes on Splinter, seeking permission.

"You may of course practice with whichever weapon you like, Michelangelo," he said serenely. "Perhaps later, if you like, either Leonardo or I could give you a personal one on one instruction in its use."

Mikey's jaw dropped in disbelief as he stared at Splinter. While he knew he'd definitely benefit from it, it greatly hurt hearing the lack of confidence the ninja master obviously had in him. Numbly, he nodded and put on a smile but his voice was oddly flat as he replied, "That would be great. Thank you, Sensei."

-:-

For the next hour, everyone practised basic moves with their chosen weapon, slowly increasing the speed and difficulty as the training session went on. Unused to holding anything but the remains of his nunchucks, Mikey found himself fumbling with the katana at first, causing the others to keep an unnaturally wide berth. Soon though, he regained his confidence and his moves began to flow smooth and strong. As the session went on, Splinter began to relax, if that was possible given how stiffly he carried himself, and divided his attention to all four turtles evenly and by the time the lesson finished, Mikey found himself receiving amazed and impressed looks from the other three turtles.

Finally, Splinter called an end to the practice and an exhausted Mikey quickly returned his borrowed weapon to the rack before joining the lineup and sitting in seiza beside Donatello.

Once the class bowed out and was dismissed, Splinter called, "Michelangelo? If I could have a word?"

Mikey's heart began pounding wildly in his chest once more as he walked back. "If it's about my outbursts earlier, I'm really sorry, Sensei! I really don't know what came over me but I promise it won't happen again!"

"Do not make promises you cannot keep, Michelangelo," Splinter rebuked with a faint frown that Mikey only barely caught. He stared up, hurt again at the blatant lack of confidence in him and had to remind himself that this family _didn't_ know him and it wasn't as if he'd been giving the best example of his normal behaviour since he'd arrived.

Suppressing his sigh, Splinter spoke up again, "Please, Michelangelo, do not take that the wrong way. I know you mean well by such a promise but the fact remains that you have been greatly wronged in recent times. Some outbursts are to be expected as you settle in and attempt to work through what you have been through and regain control of your life."

Mikey nodded numbly as he stood in front of the astoundingly tall ninja master.

"However, if you would like to amend your promise to that of _trying,_ I will more than happily accept that."

"I promise I'll try really hard not to let it happen again, especially during training, Master Yoshi."

Splinter twitched slightly upon hearing his true name but didn't comment, knowing that 'Master Splinter' was, for Michelangelo, a very different person. "Your earlier... outburst... as you call it, is not why I have called you back, Michelangelo."

"It... isn't?" Mikey asked in surprise. "Then why? Did I do something else wrong?" he asked anxiously.

Splinter chuckled in wry amusement. "I gather from that question that you are used to only being called back when you have done something wrong. Would that be correct, Michelangelo?"

Mikey grinned sheepishly up at Splinter, "I admit to nothing, Grandpa Sensei."

'Completely incorrigible. He definitely shares the spirit of my missing son, if nothing else,' Splinter mused, smiling sadly. "That answer certainly gives away far more than you would obviously like," he stated dryly.

"Eh heh..."

"I called you back because I have a question." Michelangelo canted his head slightly and Splinter took that as a sign to continue. "It would appear that you are quite proficient with the katana, Michelangelo. How is this so?"

Mikey blinked in confusion at the strange question. "Master Splinter taught us, of course."

"You are _all_ familiar with its use?"

"Yeah," Mikey replied with a puzzled nod. "We cross-trained at least once a week with each other's weapons and with others too. Don't you guys do that?"

"I'm afraid not," Splinter admitted. "There have been a couple of times we tried but it did not go very well. Perhaps we should try again more frequently in future if you are anything to go by."

Grinning cheekily as he remembered his Donnie with sai and both Donnie and Raph with his 'chucks, he said, "It definitely keeps things interesting, Grandpa Sensei."

-:-

Mikey hesitated at the top of the steps leading from the dojo. He couldn't remember the last time he'd worked out so hard or for so long and between that and the distinct lack of sleep the night before, he felt utterly exhausted. Yet, he didn't really want to return to that room. Glancing towards the pit, Mikey heard the television switch on and decided to wander over and join whoever was there.

As he drew closer, he saw Leo parked only a short distance from the front of the TV, staring in rapt attention at the screen. 'Space Heroes', and one of the episodes he'd watched the previous night at that.

Mikey bit his lip; as laughingly terrible as that show was, he'd had enough of it for one day. Staring in dismay, he realised Leo hadn't even noticed his approach. Sighing to himself, Mikey gingerly stepped down into the pit, intending to lay in the beanbag again but Raph suddenly jumped down and plunked into it, settling, comic in hand. Mikey reached into his belt and pulled out a single nunchaku handle as he instead sat on the bench seat. Minutes later, unable to help himself, he began yawning.

"Yeah, this crap's enough to make anyone yawn," Raph suddenly stated loudly from the beanbag. He never took his eyes off his comic but Mikey noticed a slight smile resting on his face. "What'd Master Splinter want with you anyway?"

"To tell me how impressed he was at my prowess," Mikey replied, deliberately exaggerating. He carefully placed the broken weapon away and instead began to rub absentmindedly at his arm.

Raphael snorted derisively. "Uh huh. I'll admit you were better than with that pig sticker than any of us thought you'd be but that was hardly anything to be impressed by."

Mikey allowed a small smile to alight on his face as he detected the slightest annoyed movement from Leo and realised that Raph was deliberately baiting him. Then, armed with the new knowledge Splinter had given him in their private chat after training, "You'll have to show me how well you do then next time, Raph."

"How about I just show you how lame swords _really_ are compared to a superior weapon instead?" Raph offered as he flipped the page.

"You mean nunchaku?" Mikey asked, sounding deliberately confused. "We'll both have to wait a bit on that one then," he reminded him.

"Well, you can demonstrate that one but good luck, you'll need it," Raph snorted dismissively. "And afterwards, I'll show you both the superiority of the sai in the hands of a true master," Raph smirked, then frowned as he looked up. "Hey, you okay?" he asked with a nod towards Mikey's arm.

"Huh? Yeah, why?" Mikey asked, then followed Raph's concerned gaze. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just aching a bit, that's all. I gotta get used to using it properly again." Mikey sighed again, figuring that maybe he should do some of the rehabilitation exercises he knew. Unfortunately, right now he was just far too tired to put that much effort into anything.

Right at that moment, the commercial break came on and Leo turned to face Mikey with a frown. "Maybe you should have wielded the katana with your dominant hand instead of trying to showboat then. You could have pushed your recovery a little too much by doing that."

"But I did use my dominant hand, dude, I'm left-handed," Mikey replied, looking at Leo askance, wondering just why he assumed otherwise. "Well anyway, I write and draw left-handed but I do almost everything else with both."

That earned him two surprised looks.

"You're a southpaw?" Raph asked, eyes boggling. "Thought Donnie was the only one of those around here."

Mikey nodded; he vaguely recalled hearing the term before, from sports-mad Casey Jones.

The ad break ended and Leo immediately turned his full attention back to the TV, impressing Mikey by how totally entranced he was. He leaned towards Raph with a stage whisper, "If I was _that_ deeply mesmerised by the TV back home, I'd have been banned for a month _and_ given extra training to make up for it!"

Raph smirked again, finding it interesting to have someone else around digging and poking fun at his insane, spacenick brother. "Yeah, well, don't ask me how Lame-o-nardo can get so caught up in that crap so easily."

Mikey noticed Leo stiffen ever-so-slightly in irritation and smothered a laugh. Leo wasn't as unaware as he acted. Far from it, in fact. This was obviously just another exercise in concentration; only what he was concentrating on was trying to ignore the jibes from his acerbic brother. Mikey grinned in delight as he realised the entertainment that could be found here; sometimes subtle games could be fun and he could annoy with the best of them. He tried unsuccessfully to smother another noisy yawn and Leo turned around, irritated.

"If you're that tired, then go to bed. It's obvious you barely slept last night."

With that, Leonardo turned back around, obviously dismissing the other occupants of the room.

Raph glanced back to Mikey. "You didn't sleep?"

"Couldn't," Mikey admitted with a shrug.

"And I thought you were wiped out after training 'cause you're way out of shape."

"Partly..." Mikey reluctantly admitted, embarrassed, "but I'm not _that_ bad."

"Huh!"

"Bed!" Leonardo repeated flatly. He pointed towards the bedrooms without bothering to turn around.

But Mikey heard the command in the leader's voice and nodded. He still didn't really want to go back to that strange room, but perhaps, with the current volume of the TV and if he left the door open a smidgen, it wouldn't be so bad.

-:-

Waking from a blessedly dreamless sleep to utter silence, Mikey's eyes flew wide and he shot up, heart pounding in panic upon seeing the door he'd deliberately left open now firmly closed. Within moments, he was out of bed and out the door, breathing heavily as he tried desperately to calm himself down again.

"Great..." he muttered bitterly. "Don just _had_ to put that in my head about the doors last night, didn't he... I was _fine_ until I started thinking about it..."

Once his heart rate had settled some, Mikey realised the lair wasn't quite as silent as he originally thought. The television was still on in the other room, however, the volume was turned so low that he could only barely hear it from here. Scowling to himself, he realised someone must have decided to be 'thoughtful' by making sure he could sleep undisturbed.

Knowing he wouldn't get anywhere by just standing there leaning against the bedroom door, not to mention aware of the growing ache of hunger in his belly, Mikey pushed away and headed for the kitchen, even as the dread of actually eating again took root.

Passing through the common area, Mikey noticed only Raph still in the pit, half reading, half watching some old looking anime on TV. Since he didn't seem to notice Mikey as he passed, Mikey didn't bother calling out to greet him.

Soon after, Mikey stood pawing through the fridge, sighing at the distinct lack of variety within. All he wanted was a ham and cheese sandwich; he was even willing to forego the pickles, mustard and relish and still be happy, but while there were plenty of cheeses and pepperoni, there was little else. Sighing again, this time in dismay, Mikey settled on a plain cheese sandwich. "Probably can't taste it anyway, so what's the point?" he muttered dejectedly.

Suddenly, Mikey became away of the growing, uncomfortable sensation of eyes boring into the back of his head as he made his sandwich. However, he couldn't tell _who_ was behind him so closing his eyes to gather the strength to face them, Mikey plastered a bright smile on his face and turned to confront the person encroaching on his space.

To his surprise, it wasn't just one set of eyes, but two that met his unflinchingly; the third somehow seemed unable to meet his gaze as though they felt guilty or uncomfortable about something.

"What?" Mikey asked, his voice flat despite his effort to smile.

"Michelangelo," Leonardo spoke up firmly, "we need to talk."

-:-

* * *

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.


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